130 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The unit of bulk is a glass-covered box 24 by 30 inches. When sixteen 

 of these boxes are filled with specimens and labelled, they are grouped 

 together by sliding them into place in a specially prepared frame^ 

 When several of these groups have been arranged, if a different order of 

 sequence seems preferable, the work of re-arrangement can easily be ac-- 

 complished by giving a few words of instruction to a mechanic, who* 

 changes the position of the unit boxes in the screens. We thus have an 

 immense advantage over those museums which have fixed cases of 

 large dimension, and which must needs, therefore, assign from the 

 first a definite amount of space to each class of objects. Our policy has 

 been to mount objects in the unit boxes as rapidly as small groups could 

 be brought together, the only limitation being that objects derived from 

 different races or nations should not be mingled in the same box. By 

 this means, if at any time a rearrangement by race criteria seems de- 

 sirable for any special purpose, it can be effected without difficulty. For 

 instance, let us suppose that all the objects in the department of arts 

 and industries had been arranged according to function — all the pipes 

 together, all the weapons together, all the foods together and all the 

 games and amusements together. If the Eskimo or Japanese objects 

 are to be studied or lectured upon, it is simply necessary to go through 

 the halls, and to mark upon the glass front of each small unit case with 

 French chalk, to withdraw these unit boxes from the screens, and to 

 close up the gaps by sliding the unit boxes closer together and removing 

 the screens, which are thus thrown out of use. 



It is, of course, impracticable to arrange everything in the unit boxes^ 

 Many other similarly flexible systems of installation are employed which, 

 will be described in a future report. 



In the above remarks I have attempted simply to explain the princi- 

 ple of our methods. 



At the end of the year about 500 unit boxes had been filled, and about 

 500 labels had been printed. The work of preparing descriptive labels 

 is very laborious, and the subject of labels has received almost as much 

 study during the year as that of cases. 



It is impossible at present to form any estimate whatever of the ex- 

 tent of the collections in this department. There are over 60,000 entries 

 in the ethnological catalogues. A large number of these relate to pre- 

 historic objects which are not assigned to the department of arts and 

 industries, while great quantities of objects still remain unentered. A 

 great quantity of others properly belonging to this department are en- 

 tered in the catalogues of the department of mineralogy and other 

 departments of the Museum. 



The number of entries during the year in the catalogue, exclusive of 

 archaeological specimens, has been 7,875. At the close of another year 

 the curator hopes to present a careful estimate of the condition and 

 capabilities of the department. 



