REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 197 



specimens in either series, for the reason that not a sufficient number 

 of specimens is yet in the cases to make it either practicable or useful. 



There are on exhibition in the collection of fibers ami textiles 318 

 specimens (including 72 specimens of cotton), and 37 specimens of furs. 

 In addition to these there are a number of old forms of spinning and 

 weaving machinery placed on top of the cases and on the floor, awaiting 

 cases which are to be made for them. 



It is impossible to state the number of specimens now in the collec 

 tion which will be placed in the series for study or among the dupli- 

 cates. All of the material would require to be looked over and classi- 

 fied, which would require weeks of labor to do in a proper manner be- 

 fore the number could be even approximately known. 



In the collection of foods there are, by actual count, 742 specimens 

 in the cases. Besides these there are 270 specimens of seeds, barks, 

 and other unclassified material, 74 paints and pigments used by the 

 hndiaus, and 158 specimens of oils, making a total of 1,244. It is prob- 

 able that this number will be materially reduced when the collections 

 are properly arranged and duplicates or imperfectly known materials 

 are taken out. 



Among the duplicates there are 14 different specimens of foods from 

 Siam, in most cases 5 or C specimens of each kind, now ready to be 

 exchanged, 27 of Chinese foods, 33 Indian foods, and 10 miscellaneous 

 samples. 



There are also 106 specimens of different oils in the duplicate series, 

 of which there are, in many instances, several duplicates. 



To conduct the work of this section in a creditable manner, a certain 

 number of books of reference are absolutely required. The only work 

 that can be done without books is preparing specimens for exhibition, 

 and even this, without a system of classification, is only practicable to 

 a limited extent. 



The food collections will be arranged upon the scheme worked out 

 by yourself. The system for textiles requires much further study. The 

 routine work of preparing the specimens now in the Museum demands 

 from the acting Curator an expenditure of time which might be used to 

 much better advantage for the Museum, if an assistant or preparator 

 were appointed to work in the textiles division. It would then be pos- 

 sible to devote more time to study, and to the perfection of the classifi- 

 cation* the preparation of labels, and to what is, in fact, the most im- 

 portant part of the Curator's duties. 



The exhibition of a series of food stuffs becomes of value only when 

 the specimens are named and explained. The same may be said of 



ery other set of specimens, but to write labels requires more knowl- 

 edge than any person can acquire without access to books of reference. 

 In the textile division, however, a kind of knowledge is required which 

 cannot be acquired from books alone. It would be a great advantage 



