REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 53, 



/Section of historical relics. — The relics of George Washington and other 

 distinguished persons, for many years displayed in the Patent Office, 

 and the Lewis collection of Washington relics, purchased by Congress, 

 and stored in the Patent Office, but kept in the original packing boxes, 

 have during the year been given into the charge of the National Museum 

 by the Commissioner of Patents. These have been placed on exhibi- 

 tion in temporary cases, together with many articles of similar nature 

 already in the possession of the Museum. 



Section of costumes, architecture, &c. — The wealth of the Museum in 

 articles of costumes derived from the North American aborigines is very 

 great, as well as in objects of all the classes of implements and other 

 articles which usually make up the bulk of ethnological collections. 

 The mass of unassorted material is still very large, and is being in- 

 creased every week by the arrival of new collections. 



The Catlin collection of Indian paintings, presented in 1881 by Mrs. 

 Joseph Harrison, of Philadelphia, have been unpacked and placed on 

 exhibition in the lecture-room. 



The collection of musical instruments is deserving of mention, since 

 it is, up to the present time, the only one, excepting the fisheries collec- 

 tion, which has been thoroughly arranged and labeled in accordance 

 with the accepted plan of installation. 



Department of Antiquities. — The department of prehistoric antiquities, 

 under the charge of Dr. Charles Rau, has advanced with its usual steps 

 of progress during the year. The present somewhat unsettled condi- 

 tion of the upper main hall of the Smithsonian building, in which these 

 collections are stored, is due to the fact that the art and industry col- 

 lections, formerlj' exhibited here, have been only in part removed, owing 

 to the lack of exhibition cases in the new building. 



Department of Mammals. — The accessions of the year have been nu- 

 merous and important. The curator of mammals has devoted a consid- 

 erable portion of his time during the year to the reorganization of the 

 collection of skeletons, which is exceedingly rich in North American 

 material. The cases for their reception not having been finished, the 

 mounted preparations still remain in the Smithsonian building. The 

 articulated skeletons have all been systematically arranged in the oste- 

 ological gallery. 



Departmei t of Birds. — In the department of birds, under the care of 

 Mr. Robert Ridgway, the work of the year has necessarily been con- 

 fined to the laboratory, all the space in the ornithological galleries out- 

 side of the cases having been occupied by the offices of the Smithsonian 

 Institution during the reconstruction of the easterc end of the building. 

 There has been, however, very much important work accomplished in 

 the rearrangement of the study series, and valuable collections have 

 been received, especially from Dr. Stejneger and from others already 

 mentioned in ^mother part of this report under the head of " Geograph- 

 ical Explorations." 



