EEPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1909. 47 



Tennessee and the quarry regions of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and 

 Kettle River, Minnesota, securing small collections at each place. 



Mineralogy. — The more noteworthy additions consisted of speci- 

 mens of the new minerals hillebrandite and spurrite, donated by Dr. 

 Y. E. Wright, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and of 

 some fine examples of epidote, datolite, quartz, and beryl, the gift of 

 Mr. C. S. Bement, of PhiladeliDhia. A beautiful series of California 

 tourmalines, both cut and in the rough, was deposited by Mr. A. E. 

 Heighway. 



Studies were carried on relative to the chemical nature of meteor- 

 ites, and two papers were published. The assistant curator of the 

 division, Mr. Wirt Tassin, also rendered important service in con- 

 nection with the construction of the new Museum building, especially 

 with reference to the metal work of the windows, roofs, and dome. 



Invertehrate paleontology. — ^The principal accessions of the year 

 have been as follows: A large series of Cambrian fossils from the 

 Rocky Mountain region, collected by the Secretary of the Institu- 

 tion, Dr. Charles D, Walcott, with the help of the assistant curator, 

 Mr. L. D. Burling; about 3,000 Paleozoic fossils from the Appa- 

 lachian Vallev and central Tennessee, bv the curator of the division. 

 Dr. Ray S. Bassler; and a collection of Tertiary fossils from the 

 Coalinga district, California, containing the types described by Mr. 

 Ralph Arnold, transferred by the United States Geological Svirvey. 



The registration of the Bryozoa in the biologic series was com- 

 pleted. The Hambach collection received the previous year was 

 arranged and a portion of it registered and numbered. Altogether 

 some 13,727 specimens were placed in permanent museum form, and 

 the catalogue of type material received during the year was kept up 

 to date. Some 40 trays of graptolites, 330 boxes of other Paleozoic, 

 and 38 of Mesozoic fossils have been removed from storage and 

 placed in condition for examination. A great mass of graptolite 

 material, including a large collection transferred from the United 

 States Geological Survey, has been carefully overhauled and worked 

 up during the year, and a large number of duplicates and worthless 

 specimens eliminated. The collection now occupies about 200 stand- 

 ard drawers. The Cambrian and Ordovician portions of this collec- 

 tion have been studied and identified by Dr. E. O. Ulrich, of the 

 United States Geological Survey, and the material from later forma- 

 tions by the curator of the division. 



Doctor Bassler completed a bulletin on the stratigraphy of Appa- 

 lachian Virginia, and another on the Dendroid Graptolites of the 

 Xiagaran dolomites at Hamilton, Ontario, besides a joint monograph 

 with Doctor Ulrich on the Cambrian bivalved crustaceans. 



Vertebrate paleontology. — Of especial interest among the acces- 

 sions to this division was a large amount of material obtained by 

 12048—09 4 



