28 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Name of department. 



Cenozoio fossils 



Fossil ]>l:ui(.s 



IJoi'l'Ilt ]>huit8 ' 



Miiicriils 



Litlmlojry und physical ge- 

 ology 



Metallurgy and economic 

 geology 



Livinj; ani mala 



Total 



1882. 



1883. 



1884. 



(Tncluded with mollnsks.) 

 4, 624 7, 291 



9,075 



193, 362 



14, 560 

 12, 500 

 30, 000 



263, 143 



16,610 

 18, 000 

 40, 000 



1, 472, COO 



1885-'86. 



7,429 

 30, 000 

 18,401 



20, 647 



48,000 



2,420,944 



1886-'87. 



8,462 

 32, 000 



1887-'88. 



10, 000 

 38, 000 



18,601 21,896 



] 

 21,500 22,500 



49, 000 



2,666,335 2,803,459 



51, 412 



220 



1888- '89. 



10, 178 

 38, 459 

 27, 690 



27, 000 



52,076 

 3 491 



1889-'90. 



10,507 

 39,654 

 37, 101 



'32, 762 



2,864,244 2, 895, 104 



' These nnmbera have reference only to speeimens received through the Museum, and do not include 

 specimens received for thu National Herbarium throujih the Department of Agriculture. 



* Collections combined in October, 1889, under Department of Geology. The apparent decrease of 

 more than 50 per cent of the estimated total for 1889 is accounted for (1) by the rejection of several 

 thousands of speciuiens from the collection, and (2) by the fact that no estimate of the specimens 

 in the reserve and duplicate teries is included. Of the total for 1890, about 16,000 specimens consist 

 chielly of petroj^rapliical material stored away for study and comparison in the drawers of table cases. 



' Transferred to the National Zoolngieal Park. 



Catalogue entries. — The Dumber of entries made in the catalogue of 

 the several departments of the Museum during the year is 1!8,293. 



The number of boxes and packages recorded by the registrar as having 

 been received during the year, and entered upon the transportation 

 record of the Smithsonian Institution, is 52,079. Of this number 827 

 contained specimens for the Museum. Although the total number of 

 packages received is more than three times as great as that for last 

 year, the number of i)ackages containing specimens for the Museum is 

 only a little more than one-third of the number received during 1889. 



Co-operation of the Departments of Government. — The friendly interest 

 displayed in the work of the National Museum by officers of the De- 

 partments of the Government has been continued. In no previous year 

 has the Museum had occasion to acknowledge more gratefully the cour. 

 teous assistance rendered by the Secretaries of the Uei)artments and 

 the chiefs of many of the Bureaus. 



Through the medium of the Department of State, several United 

 Stiites ministers and consuls have brought their inlluenco to bear in 

 obtaining for the Museum representations of the fauna and flora of the 

 regions in which they are residing. 



The Secretary of the Treasury has extended the usual courtesies in 

 connection with the free entry of specimens. Special facilities have 

 been afforded in connection with the visit of Mr. Flenry W. Elliott to 

 tlie Seal Islands of Alaska, which, it is hoi)ed, will result in the addition 

 of several specimens of fur-seal, tishes, and other natural-history objects 

 to the collections. The Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Revenue Ma- 

 rine Division, the Life-Saving Service, and the Light-House Board have 

 assisted collectors for the Museum in special ways. 



