REPORT OF NATIONAX. MUSEUM, 1910. 45 



transfer of the mollusk cases from the middle of the bird hall has 

 greatly relieved the congestion there, and made it possible to so 

 arrange the cases containing bird groups as to much improve the 

 appearance and condition of the hall. 



The space allotted for the exhibition collections of biology in the 

 new building comprises most of the western side of the building, 

 including the main and second stories of the western wing and 

 range and the second story of the northwest range. A complete 

 provisional arrangement of the various exhibits, even to the indi- 

 vidual cases, has been worked out, but it is subject to more or less 

 change. Its immediate importance is as a basis for the construction 

 of furniture. To temporarily meet the needs of installation, how- 

 ever, many old cases were taken from storage, and are being repaired 

 as far as necessary. Tlie mounted mammals which had been in stor- 

 age were critically examined, and the fish, reptile, and batrachian 

 molds and casts were being treated in the same way when the year 

 closed. 



Distribution and exchanges. — Specimens were distributed for edu- 

 gational purposes or to be added to museum collections as follows: 

 Mammals to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, and to the Museum 

 of the City of Portland, Oregon; birds to the Normal School, Wash- 

 ington, District of Columbia; fishes from the Albatross explorations 

 in the southern and eastern Pacific Ocean, to the Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and fishes and marine 

 invertebrates to Muhlenberg College; insects to the British Museum, 

 the American Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Brook- 

 lyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Utah ; mol- 

 lusks to the Crane Technical High School, Chicago ; marine inverte- 

 brates of other groups to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences, the University of Iowa, Yale University Museum, and Leland 

 Stanford Junior University; and samples of ocean bottom to the 

 University of California. 



The number of specimens used in making exchanges was small, the 

 largest sendings having been of insects to the extent of 1,281 speci- 

 mens, and of plants to the extent of 6,214 specimens. The principal 

 recipients of the latter were the New York Botanical Garden, the 

 Missouri Botanical Garden, and the University of Cahfornia. The 

 number of specimens of plants received by the Museum on account of 

 exchanges was 8,049. 



Specialists not connected with the Museum obtained for study and 

 comparison about 10,800 specimens of animals and plants, exclusive 

 of marine invertebrates. A part of these transactions were initiated 

 by the Museum, in accordance with a long established policy, in order 

 to facilitate and hasten the classification of the collections, while in 



