46 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1905. 



Researches in the division of mineralogy were mainly confined to 

 the study of the structure of meteorites by Air. Wirt Tassin, assistant 

 curator, involving the devising of methods and apparatus for sepa- 

 rations, new methods of analyses, and improvements in methods of 

 photographing opaque objects under high powers. 



During the early part of the year the assistant curator of strati- 

 graphic paleontology, Mr. R. vS. Bassler, then an assistant in the 

 U. S. Geological Survey, completed reports on the paleontology and 

 stratigraphy of the Ordovician rocks of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and on the cement resources of the valley of Virginia, both 

 of which are published by the Survey. During the same period he 

 also prepared an article on the James types of Ordovician and Silu- 

 rian bryozoa, which is now being printed by the University of Chicago. 

 Subsequently he submitted to the Museum a paper on the Brj^ozoa 

 of the Rochester shales, which are treated monographicalh^, the 

 correlation of American and European Silurian strata being indi- 

 cated. The monograph of American fossil Ostracoda by Mr. E. O. 

 Ulrich and Mr. Bassler is still in course of preparation, little progress 

 having been made during the year owing to the press of other duties. 

 Mr. Bassler is also engaged upon a somewhat extended paper on 

 the stratigraphy and paleontology^ of the valley of Virginia. 



The catalogue of type specimens of fossil invertebrates in the 

 Department of Geology went to press before the close of the year. 



As explained in a previous report, the specimens of Paleozoic 

 insects in the Museum collection were sent for study to Dr. Anton 

 Hand irsch, of the K. K. Naturhistorische Hofmuseum of Vienna. 

 His paper on this interesting material was received during the 3'ear 

 and is being translated from the German under the supervision of 

 Prof. Charles Schuchert, of Yale University. Other loans of fossil 

 invertebrates for study purposes comprised specimens from the 

 Devonian of Canada and representatives of Eurystomites virginiana 

 Hyatt to Dr. John M. Clarke, of the New York wState Museum; 

 specimens from the Alaryland Devonian and the stratigraphic series 

 of New York Medina fossils to Prof. Charles Schuchert, of Yale Uni- 

 versity, and the Troost collection of fossil crinoids to Miss Elvira 

 Wood, of the U. S. Geological Survey. Among specialists who vis- 

 ited the Museum were Mr. E. F. Burchard, Mr. S. H. Ball, and Mr. 

 R. W. Stone, of the U. S. Geological Survey; Mr. L. N. Stephenson 

 and Mr. W. F. Prouty, of Johns Hopkms University; Air. Walter 

 Granger, of the American Museum of Natural History, Mr. T. H. 

 Aldrich and Col. T. L. Casey. 



Dr. William H. Dall reports the completion by himself of a review 

 of the relations of the Miocene beds of Maryland with other Ameri- 

 can Aliocene and the Miocene of Europe, which was published in the 

 Miocene volume of the Maryland State surve3\ A monograph of 



