12 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



square feet; work rooms, storage, etc., 42,000 square feet; lecture liall, 

 13,500 square feet. These figures include the portions of the building 

 now being completed. The total cost of the museum to date, including 

 the completion of the new wings, is $3,559,470.15. The buildiugs and 

 the care of them are provided for by the city of New York. The 

 expenses of the scientific staff, increase of collections, etc. (the income 

 for which the present year is approximately $185,000), are defrayed 

 from endowments, membership fees, and contributions. 



The present National Museum building was erected with the view of 

 covering the largest amount of space with the least outlay of money. 

 In this respect it may be considered a success. It is, in fact, scarcely 

 more than the shadow of such a massive, dignified, and well-finished 

 building as should be the home of the great national collections. There 

 is needed at once a spacious, absolutely fire-proof building of several 

 stories, constructed of durable materials, well lighted, modern in equip- 

 ment, and on such a plan that it can be added to as occasion demands 

 in the future. A site for such a building is already owned by the Gov- 

 ernment; only the building needs to be provided for. What the Capi- 

 tol building is to the nation, the Library building to the National 

 Library, the Smithsonian building to the Smithsonian Institution, the 

 new museum building should be to the National Museum. 



J^xMbition and laboratory space. — If the present building were devoted 

 to the Department of Anthropology, in the new building there should 

 be provided fully 115,000 square feet of exhibition space for the Depart- 

 ment of Biology, and for its laboratory and ofiQce rooms 75,000 square 

 feet, making a total of 190,000 square feet. The space mentioned is 

 based upon careful estimates of what will be needed for the proper 

 housing of and work on the collections now in hand and that will i)rob- 

 ably come to the Museum within the present generation. It would be 

 provisionally assigned among the different divisions of the department 



as follows : 



Space needed by the Department of Biology. 



Division. 



Exhibition 

 space. 



Laboratory 



and office 



space. 



Grand 

 total. 



Mammals 



Birds and birds eggs 



Keptiles and batracbians 

 Fisbes 



MoUusks 



Insects 



Other invertel)rates 



Comparative anatomy 



Herbarium 



A ' Cetaceum,'' or special hall for wliales 



Special series : 



Synoptic series, protective coloration, mimicrj-, albinism, mela- 

 nism, etc 



Total 



S-i.feet. 



23, 500 



12, 000 

 4,500 

 8,000 

 4,200 

 3,500 



10, 000 

 5,000 



20. 000 

 2,500 



22, 000 



Sq 



. feet. 



14, 000 

 7,600 

 3,600 

 8,300 

 8,000 

 7,000 



10, 500 

 3,500 



12, 500 



Sq.feet. 

 37, 500 



19, 600 

 8,100 



10,300 

 12, 200 

 10, 500 



20, 500 

 8,500 



32, 500 

 2,500 



115,200 



75,000 I 190,200 



