54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



and prcseuted by the " Iron Age," of New York (3ity. Some objects of 

 vaUie Lave also been added to other sections and de[)artments of the 

 Museum, especially to those of Transportation and Gra phic Arts. These 

 will be enumerated in the "list of accessions" already referred to. 



A collection intended to illustrate the application of photography to 

 scientific purposes is now being prepared by Mr. T. W. Smillie for exhi- 

 bition at the Cincinnati Exposition. This collection includes interest- 

 ing contributions from Prof. E. 0. Pickering, of Harvard University ; 

 U. S. Magnetic Station, U. S. Coast Survey, Army Medical Museum, U. 

 S. Light House Board, U. S. Signal OfQce, the proving ground at An- 

 napolis, Commander C. F. Goodrich, U. S. Navy ; Mr. J. W. Osborne, and 

 Dr. Thomas Taylor, of the Department of Agriculture. 



The increasing popularity of the Museum seems to be proved by the 

 fact that during the year the number of visitors to the Museum Build- 

 ing was 249,025, or 32,463 more than last year, and the number of visit- 

 ors to the Smithsonian Building was 103,442, or 4,891 more than last 

 year. 



Following the usual policy, free access to tlie collections has been 

 granted to students in the various branches of natural history, and in 

 many instances specimens have been lent to specialists for comparison 

 and study. Instruction in taxidermy and i)hotography have been given 

 to several applicants. This has in some instances been done at the re- 

 quest of an executive department ; otherwise, the students have been 

 expected to render voluntary service as an equivalent. Permission has 

 been granted by the Superintendent of Police, upon the indorsement of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, to several young men to shoot birds in the 

 District of Columbia for scientific purposes. This privilege is provided 

 for by law in section 14, chapter 213, vol. i of the " Supplement to the Ee- 

 vised Statutes of the United States." The use of the lecture hall in the 

 Museum has been granted for lectures and meetings of scientific socie- 

 ties, as follows : A course of Saturday lectures, twelve in number, com- 

 mencing on February 18 5 four lectures given under the auspices of the 

 Amateur Botanical Club of Washington, on December 10, 21, January 

 7, 21 ; the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, April 

 17-21. The Biological Society of Washington and the Botanical Sec- 

 tion of this society also held some of their meetings in the Museum. 

 The usual courtesies have been extended to other public institutions 

 by the gift and loan of photographs and working drawings of Museum 

 cases, drawings and photographs of specimens, and copies of Museum 

 labels. 



Two hundred and sixty-four lots of specimens have been distributed 

 to museums, colleges, and individuals. Applications for duplicate spec- 

 imens are each year increasing in number. During this year fifty-three 

 have been received. It has always been the j^olicy of the Smithsonian 

 Institution to distribute in this way the duplicate material which accu- 

 mulates in the departments of the Museum, and the importance of this 



