148 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



four small emergency hoses were placed in the private portion of 

 the building, one in the basement, and one on each of the three 

 floors; these are attached to the main fire service. 



New Oases. 



In my Report for 1899, I referred to the urgent necessity of 

 providing new cases for the Conchology around the ballustrade of 

 the Invertebrate Gallery. The first half of these was made in 

 the latter part of 1900, and will be placed in position early in 

 1901. An additional shelf was also fitted to the wall cases of 

 the Fish Gallery. 



The following additional closed cabinets were also supplied for 

 use in the Assistants' studies: — A Conchological Cabinet of forty 

 drawers, an Arachnid cabinet of eighteen drawers, a Lepidoptera 

 cabinet of thirty-five drawers, and one for the Zurich Biblio- 

 graphical Council's Card Reference Catalogue for general use. 



Two glass cases were also provided for the Ribbon or Oar- 

 fishes ( Regalecus glesne, Asc, and Trachypterus jacksoniensis, 

 Ramsay). 



Collecting and Field Work. 



I regret that steps have not yet been taken to supply the 

 services of a trained Collector. The collection of specimens still 

 remains almost dependent on the voluntary efforts of members of 

 the Staff and friends who are willing to devote some portion of 

 their time to it. By this means 1742 specimens were added. 



General collections of marine organisms were made at Lord 

 Howe Island, for the Trustees, by Mr. Frank Farnell, Hon. 

 Visiting Macjistrate, and by the following residents: — Mrs. T. 

 NichoUs, and Messrs. W. S. Thompson, and J. B. Waterhouse. 



Mr. A. J. North continued his field researches on Saturday 

 afternoons and public holidays, thereby adding many nests and 

 eggs to the collection, and facts appertaining to nidification of our 

 birds to his note-book. 



Mr. E. R. Waite obtained a few Marsupials on the Hawkesbury 

 River. 



Mr. 0. Hedley made a very successful trip to Muddy Creek, 

 in Victoria, during his vacation, and obtained a large series of 

 the Eocene and Miocene fossils of that locality. He also visited 

 Twofold Bay and Newcastle, and collected some interesting 

 Mollusca. At the latter place he also secured some very 

 remarkable fossil plants, that will be more particularly referred 

 to in next year's Report. 



By far the most interesting "find" of the year, however, was the 

 discovery by Mr. T. Whitelegge, along the neighbouring sea-board, 

 of an aboriginal manufactory of stone implements that has quite 

 shed a new light on some of the habits of the blacks of the metro- 

 politan area. 



