REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 147 



floor space remaining after the large objects of pottery shall have been removed will 

 be sufficiently great to accommodate five or six separate upright cases, and the semi- 

 circular space at the north end can also be utilized for smaller cases. Only the cases 

 on the east and south sides have thus far been emptied of the old collections, and 

 these are now filled with marine invertebrates. Considerable time was spent in pre- 

 paring this exhibit, in studying the effect of different-colored tablets and backgrounds 

 upon the specimens, ebonized tablets and a maroon background to the cases being 

 finally adopted as the most desirable and attractive. The collections first selected for 

 exhibition were those which could be the most readily prepared and which were in 

 greatest need of proper storage — the dry corals, sponges, and echinoderms — and these 

 naturally constitute the most showy portions of the marine invertebrate collections. 

 Mr. E. H. Hawley, who had been very successful in the preparation of the exhibition 

 series of marine invertebrates at the Peabody Museum, of Yale College, and at the 

 American Museum, New York, was employed for this task, which he has executed in 

 a very superior manner, producing a more attractive display than probably exists in 

 any other similar museum in the country. Mr. Hawley continued his work upon 

 this collection during most of 1881, and until March, 1882, when his services were 

 required in another department of the Museum, and the mounting of marine inverte- 

 brates was temporarily discontinued. He had, however, finished all the specimens 

 that had been prepared for mounting up to that time. 



As the cases prepared for this purpose were inadequate to hold the entire mounted 

 display collection, it has been impossible to arrange it in proper order, but, never- 

 theless, the temporary arrangement has been duly appreciated by the public, judgiug 

 from the many favorable criticisms j)assed upon it. The showy corals now form the 

 bulk of the display collection, and, considering that a majority of the corals are types 

 from the United States Exploring Expedition, their value is very great. Other feat- 

 ures of this display are the centennial collection of Bermuda corals ; a complete series 

 of all the known species and varieties of commercial sponges, identified by good 

 authority ; a large series of Alaskan sponges ; and a great variety of echinoderms, 

 from many sources. The j)roposed additions to the exhibition series will be discussed 

 further on. The Museum printing office having been fully occupied with jireparing 

 labels for other departments, the exhibition collection in this department is still un- 

 labelled, but this deficiency will be remedied during the coming year. 



Distribution of du2:)Ucaies. — The extensive explorations of the United States Fish 

 Commission, along the eastern coast of the United States, during the past twelve 

 years, have brought together a large mass of duplicate materials, in the line of marine 

 invertebrates, which is being distributed as rapidly as possible to institutions of 

 learning throughout this country, and to a few foreign ones. No returns have been 

 demanded for the duplicates disposed of in the United States, but those sent to for- 

 eign countries are generally in exchange for collections of equal value for the Museum. 

 Three general series of duplicate sets have already been prepared and two distributed. 

 The first series, consisting of 50 sets, with 118 species each, and over 18,000 speci- 

 mens in all, was sent out, in 1879, to many of the higher schools of learning in this 

 country, and to a few foreign institutions. Series II, also containing 50 sets of 189 

 species each, and a total of over 50,000 specimens, is now very nearly ready for distri- 

 bution, and will be sent out the coming January or February. Series III, or the edu- 

 cational series of 50 sets, with 98 species each, and a total of over 15,000 specimens, 

 was finished and distributed in June, 1882. Enough material stills remains for mak- 

 ing up a second educational series of 200 sets, with about 125 species each, and the 

 work of preparing this series will be begun in January, 1883. 



As a part of Series II, ten additional sets, containing the same species and many 

 others, is now being prepared, for sending to the London Fishery Exhibition of 1883, 

 to be disposed of in Europe, by exchange, for collections for the Museum. This 

 Museum is greatly in need of authentic foreign collections of marine animals for the 

 purposes of comparison, and much valuable material of this character can undoubt- 

 edly be obtained by such a system of exchange. 



