48 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



until its card lius lirst been written and entered. Besides convenience 

 of consultation, this system possesses another point of advantage in 

 that it furnishes the source of a record, easily accessible, of the exact 

 status and magnitude of the collections, a matter which is open to much 

 speculation when no such data are at hand. 



" The poisoning: of specimens newlv received has occupied much time. 

 About 5,000 specimens have been pern)anently protected from the rav- 

 ages of insects. A complete immersion of the specimens in a saturated 

 alcoholic solution of strychnine has been found most eflicacious. 



"The work which has required the largest amount of time has been 

 the selection of nuiterial for mounting. Instead of mounting indiscrimi- 

 nately the mass of duplicate material which constantly comes to a col- 

 lection of this character, a careful comparison is always made in order 

 to be certain that the specimens Avill actually add to the ones already 

 in hand ; either a difl'erent phase of the plant or a new and interesting- 

 locality. In this manner pure duplication is checked and the growth 

 of the herbarium made to accommodate itself, as nearly as possible, to 

 the present somewhat restricted space. As rapidly as the specimens 

 selected can be mounted, they are added to their systematic place to 

 the herbarium, so that no large amount of this new material is allowed 

 to accumulate and remain inaccessible.'' 



XVI. Bcuartmcnt of Minerals. — The department of minerals, so long 

 in a quiescent condition, is now making rapid progress under the direc- 

 tion of Prof. F. AY. Clarke, of tbe U. S. Geological Survey, who is its 

 honorary curator, assisted by ]Mr. W. IS. Yeates. An extensive system 

 of exchanges has been carried on during the year w ith private collectors 

 and with a number of public museums,among which may be mentioned 

 the ficole des Mines in Paris, the museum at Annecy in Savoy, the Uni- 

 versity of Sydney, Australia, and Amherst College, Massachusetts, and 

 an unusual number of gifts have been received from individuals and 

 institutions. 



The total increase in the number of specimens during the year has 

 been nearly 800. The number of specimens in the collection, including 

 duplicates, is 18,401, about 1,500 of which are on exhibition. The exhibi- 

 tion space of the department is already overcrowded and the collection 

 for public display cannot be increased until more cases can be provided. 

 Much has been accomplished, however, in the improvement of the ar- 

 rangement of both study and exhibition series, and the classification is 

 more perfect than before. The collection of gems and ornamental stones 

 has received its full share of attention, and a description of this will be 

 printed in the Museum report during the coming year. Special atten- 

 tion has been given to the enlargement of the meteorite collection. The 

 proper growth of this collection is greatly impeded, perhaps more so 

 than any other, by a lack of funds for the purchase of valuable speci- 

 mens which now invariably fall into the hands of dealers and foreign 

 museums. 



