REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 17 



specimens that are constantly offered that form highly desirable 

 additions to the national collections. Many expedients are adopted 

 to provide additional storage facilities, but we are about at the end 

 of our resources in this respect. It must be anticipated that more 

 than two years will be required before the new area is ready for 

 occupancy after construction is begun, so that work on the wings 

 should commence as soon as practicable. 



Final completion of the additions to the Natural History Build- 

 ing will provide properly for the Museum's needs in one direction, 

 but other collections require more adequate housing than can be 

 given them with the existing structures. The great collections in 

 engineering, aviation, textiles, history, and associated fields are at 

 present in the old Museum Building, constructed in 1881 at a cost 

 of $225,000, and in a temporary building south of the Smithsonian 

 Building that houses most of the aircraft. Both buildings are 

 crowded to such an extent that many desirable objects offered for 

 the national collections can not be accepted because there is no room 

 for them. Plans should be drawn as soon as possible for a large 

 building to house the collections concerned with arts and industries, 

 including aircraft, that will provide proper facilities for these im- 

 portant collections. There should be, further, a separate building 

 for the great historical collections, in which there are found such 

 objects as relics of Washington, Lincoln, and many other illustrious 

 Americans; the original Star-Spangled Banner; the great series of 

 costumes, particularly those of the wives of the Presidents; and 

 many other objects of pride to our Nation, which should be dis- 

 played in proper form for the thousands of visitors who come 

 annually to Washington. 



COLLECTIONS 



Additions to the collections of the National Museum during the 

 fiscal year amounted to 157,870 individual specimens, a number con- 

 siderably less than that of the last few years but one that must be 

 considered normal, since in previous accounts there had been included 

 large private collections coming as gifts or extended series of speci- 

 mens from prolonged explorations in the field. Materials of vari- 

 ous kinds received for examination and report amounted to 12,060 

 lots. Gifts of duplicate materials to schools and other educational 

 organizations included 6,299 specimens, while exchanges of duplicate 

 materials with other institutions and with individuals amounted to 

 11,621 specimens, for which there were received in return material 

 needed for our collections. Loans to scientific workers outside of 

 Washington totaled 36,639 specimens. 



Following is a digest of the more important accessions for the year 

 in the various departments and divisions of the Museum : 



