30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



may be stated t'liat these details are in every instauce made in tlie 

 interests of cooperation by those Bureaus of the Government engaged 

 in work closely connected with that of the Museum. The paleon- 

 tologists of the Geological Survey find it so much to their advantage to 

 have access to the paleontological collections of the Museum and the 

 use of the laboratories, storage cases, and general administrative appli- 

 ances of the Museum, that they are permitted by their chief to assume 

 the responsibilities of curatorships and perform a general work of super- 

 vision. In nearly every case, however, the Museum supplies the honor- 

 ary curators with assistants, who relieve them of much of the routine 

 work. 



Very few important changes or additions have been made during the 

 fiscal year covered by this report. 



In the departments of mollusks and of entomology, an assistant cu- 

 rator has been appointed, the honorary curators of these departments 

 having found it impossible to attend to the routine work as well as 

 identify, classify, and arrange the specimens for exhibition and study 

 I)urposes. 



A brief review of what has been accomplished in each department 

 during the year will be, perhaps, the most satisfactory mode of bring- 

 ing before the Eegents the present methods and tendencies of the work 

 in the Museum. I shall not however attempt to discuss the additions 

 of the year, except so far as these are incidentally referred to as the re- 

 sults of explorations made under the direction, or with the co-operation 

 of the Institution. A list of these, with geographical and topograph- 

 ical indices, and a list of donors, will be found in the second part of this 

 report, in connection with the detailed reports of the Assistant Director 

 and curators of the Museum upon its current work. 



A census of the collections made in 1884 showed an estimated total of 

 1,471,000 "lots"of specimensinthe Museum. The number at the present 

 time is 2,420,934. The total number of "lots" of specimens received 

 during the year and separately entered on the record of accessions is 

 1,496, including 6,890 separate packages. The construction of cases has 

 been constantly in progress, and during the year there have been re- 

 ceived and fitted for use and placed in the exhibition halls 84 cases, 

 chiefly of the standard patterns. Forty-five storage cases have been 

 made for use in the laboratories, 5,400 wooden drawers and trays, and 

 54,000 pasteboard trays. There have also been purchased 3,504 glass 

 jars, for storage and exhibition of alcoholic Sjiecimens, and 24 barrels 

 (1,115 gallons) of 98 per cent, alcohol. 



The chief clerk of the Museum recently appointed has given much of 

 his time during the past year to reorganizing and supervising the depart- 

 ment of property and supplies ; methodizing and formulating rules and 

 regulations for governing the same. The changes that have been made 

 have already proven of great practical benefit, simplifying, as they do, 



