REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 27 



pounds were acquired by gifts from Mexico aud other sources. In ad- 

 dition to the collections consigned directly to the Museum from IN'ew 

 Orleans, the importan t collection illustrating the uses of American woods, 

 gathered for the exhibit of the Agricultural Department by Mr. William 

 Saunders, has, since its receipt in Washington, been delivered to the 

 Museum. At the beginning of July a considerable portion of the collec- 

 tions had already been received, aud many of the exhibition halls of the 

 Museum, which before this time had been reduced to an appearance of 

 order, were becoming filled up with the unopened boxes and cases. It is 

 however confidently expected that before the end of the calendar year 

 the new material will be unpacked aud brought under control. A 

 special appropriation of $7,500 was made by Congress for the packing 

 and forwarding'of the new material, and for repairing and reinstalling 

 the original collection. The ISTew' Orleans Exposition, although its in- 

 fluence was perhaps less comprehensive than that at Philadelphia in 

 1876, has nevertheless accomplished a great work in the South and 

 West, both from commercial and educational standpoints, and in my 

 judgment the money appropriated for the display of the Smithsonian 

 Institution (including the United States National Museum and Fish 

 Commission) has been productive of important results to the country. 

 There can be no doubt that the National Museum has been the gainer 

 by the undertaking, although the work of final arrangement has re- 

 ceived a temporary set-back. 



The general work of the Museum has been for the most part of the 

 same character as that described in my reports for the last three years, 

 and in ilearly every department the curator states that decided progress 

 has been made in the development both of the study and the exhibition 

 series of specimens. The work of case-construction has been steadily 

 carried forward, and during.the coming year the collections will be more 

 thoroughly classified than has hitherto been possible, by the assignment 

 of definite space for each department in the exhibition halls. The gal- 

 leries of the main exhibition hall in the Smithsonian building have been 

 cleared of the old exhibition cases, which proved to be inadequate to 

 present needs, aud the space is being used temporarily for the overhaul- 

 ing and arrangement of certain large collections in the departments of 

 birds, moUusks, marine invertebrates, invertebrate paleontology, and 

 ethnology. This step has been found absolutely necessary, since the 

 space in the crowded laboratory rooms was not sufiicient to admit of 

 any general rearrangement. 



Museum Publications. — The various publications of the Museum have 

 been, as hitherto, under the editorial supervision of Dr. Tarleton H. 

 Bean. The seventh volume of the "Proceedings" was finished in Feb- 

 ruary, and of the eighth volume, the printing of which was begun iu 

 March, 221 pages were printed prior to the 1st of July. At the present 

 time four Bulletins are in the hands of the printer, No. 23, "Biblio- 

 graphy of the Publications of Isaac Lea, LL. D., by Newton Pratt 



