REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 55 



policy Las been repeatedly commented upon in pievions reports. It 

 bas not yet, bowever, been lound practicable to comply witb tbese 

 applications as fast as received, because tlie curators bave not yet bad 

 time to arrauge tbo duplicate material into sets for distribution. It is 

 to be boped tbat in future it may be ])ossible to relieve tlie curators of 

 some of tbe routine work wbicb tbey arc now obliged to attend to per- 

 sonally, in order tbat among otber tbiugs tbey may devote more of tbeir 

 time to tbe classification of duplicate material. 



Tbe importance of museum collections for purposes of education in 

 scbools is becoming of late years mucb more fully appreciated, and it 

 seems desirable to make some cbanges in tbe manner of distributing 

 specimens; especially to make tbe collections sent out so complete — 

 witbin sucb limits as it may be possible to develoj) tbem by metbods of 

 arrangement and labels — tbat tbey may be ready for immediate use in 

 instruction. In order to do tbis it is often necessary to supplement du- 

 plicate material on band by otber material specially collected. Witb 

 tbis in view tbe curators of mineralogy and i^bysical geology bave been 

 requested to obtain during tbe year in large quantities, for tbe special 

 ])urpose of distribution, specimens of minerals from certain ricb locali- 

 ties. By tbis means material for a considerable number of series of 

 minerals and rocks bave been obtained, wbile at tbe same time valua- 

 ble additions bave been made to tbe Museum collections. Mr. Merrill, 

 curator of pbysical geology, visited during tbe summer, i^oints in Nortb 

 Carolina, Pennsylvania, Massacbusetts, Maine, New Hampsbire, Ver- 

 mont, and New York. Mr. Yeates, assistant curator of minerals, vis- 

 ited tbe States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nortb 

 Carolina. Special attention bas been tbus given to obtaining geologi- 

 cal and mineralogical material ibr distribution, owing to tbe fact that 

 there is on file a very large number of applications for specimens of 

 this kind, wbicb it bas been impossible so far to meet. Collections of 

 tbis character are, furthermore, mucb better suited for school museums, 

 especially those which have not much .money to spend in tbe prepara- 

 tion and installation of specimens, than are the more fragile and perish- 

 able zoological collections. It is boped that during the coming year it 

 will also be practical to make up a considerable number of sets of bird- 

 skins, illustrating the classification of birds into families. 



The report on the operations of tbe National Museum for the first 

 half of 1885, and forming Part ii of the Report of tbe Smithsonian In- 

 stitution, bas been received from the Public Printer. This report in- 

 cludes Mr. Thoccas Donaldson's paper on " Tbe George Catlin Indian 

 Gallery." Tbe bound volumes of volume 9 of the "Proceedings of the 

 U. S. National Museum" were received from the Public Printer in Au- 

 gust. Two hundred copies of this volume had been distributed, signa- 

 ture by signature,to tbe collaborators of tbe Museum and other scientists 

 throughout the world. Tbis volume consists of 720 pages, and is illus- 



