44 REPORT ON NATIONAL ISrUSEUM, 1886. 



with the Miiseiiin cipher aud numbered. Supplies are issued upon 

 requisitions approved by the Assistant Secretary, which are filed with 

 the j)roperty clerk, and the articles in each case are charged up to the 

 dejiartmeiit to whicli they have been assigned. 



Anodier change that has been made during the year has been the 

 appointment of a committee of experts to examine all cases, articles of 

 furniture, etc., to see that the contra(;tor has performed his part of the 

 contract, and that the articles are u[) to ]\Iusenm standard, and therefore 

 in proper shape for acceptance. A second committee inspects lumber, 

 in order to see that it is of the kind ordered, of the proper dimensions, 

 and is satisfactory for the purposes for which intended. A third com- 

 mittee examines the unserviceable i>roperty of the Museum, and reports 

 what action in their judgment is desirable. These committees have per- 

 formed their duties faithfully and witli very satisfactory results, reliev- 

 ing tiiis ofBce at the same time of much detail and labor. 



(«) COKRESroNDENCK AND RkPOUTS. 



The Museum correspondence, wliieh is under the charge of the exec- 

 utive clerk, Mr. 11. I, CT(;arc, has N'ery largely increased during the year. 

 There have been written for the signatures of the Secretary and Assis- 

 tant Secretary 1,100 letters and 1,001 acknowledgments of accessions, 

 and -00 reports upon specimens sent for examination have also been 

 prepared. 



(/) Preparation ov Labels. 



Five thousand eight hundred and sixty forms of labels have been 

 printed at the Government Printing Olhce, as shown in the following 

 table : 



Department. No. ol' forms. 



Mefcallnroical 1,111 



Materia nicdica 1. 407 



IJirds 1)40 



Slioll.s 2(54 



Fishes m.i 



Biuidiiig. stones l,i*(F) 



Department. No. of forms. 



Kllinological 122 



>Jaiiiinals 'M 



'J'ex tiles 274 



Total .''1,800 



Several hundred lables have also been printed in the INIuseum. 



:?. THE WORK OF THE MUSEUM PREPARATORS. 

 (a) Taxidermists. 



The work of the year v«'as opened by a journey ol" the chiel' taxidermist 

 to Keene, N. IT., in com])any wifh Mr. V. A. liUcas, the osteologist, to 

 receive a full-grown Indian elenhant, named "Albert," whieli was shot 

 by order of lion. P. T. Barnum at that town on July 20, and presented 

 to the National Museum. 1'lie i)reparators reached the elephant about 

 thirty-four hours after its death, and. with the aid of four butchers, 

 the animal was quickly dissected. In two days the skin was removed 



