REPOKT OF ASSISTANT SECKETAKY. 39 



F. Eaton, of the Peabody Museum of Yale University, in his .studies 

 of Triassic fishes of the genus IscJtyjderus ; Mr. A. P. Martin, of the 

 Maryland Geological Survey, and Dr. John M, Clarke, of the New 

 York State Museum, in their researches on the Miocene and Devonian 

 fossils, especially of Maryland; Prof. J. E. Duerden, of Johns Hop- 

 kins University, on Paleozoic corals; Dr. C. E. Beecher, of the Pea- 

 body Museum, on the fossil brachiopod g&wvm PI<tt)j.st)'oj)li!(i ; Mi*. F. N. 

 Balch, of Boston, on arctic fossil shells; Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Oldroyd, 

 of California, on the fossil shells of the Pacific coast. The entire col- 

 lection of Middle Devonian crinoids was sent to Miss Elvira Wood, 

 of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who will classify and 

 report upon the species. The collection of fossil plants from theCor- 

 win coal mine at Cape Lisburne, Alaska, presented by Mr, A. G. 

 Maddren, together with other specimens from, the same place, were 

 turned over to Prof. William M. Fontaine, of the Universit}^ of Vir- 

 ginia, for study in connection with material recently procured from 

 the same locality by Mr. F. C. Schrader, of the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey. Dr. Arthur Hollick, of the New York Botanical Garden, exam- 

 ined the collections of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary plants in 

 connection with researches on some parts of those groups. 



PROGRESS IN TIIK INSTALLATION OF THE EXHIBITION ( < )LLE("riONS. 



The crowded state of most of the exhibition halls has prevented 

 extensive additions to the display collections except in a few direc- 

 tions. Much was accomplished, however, toward iniproxing th(>, con- 

 dition and appearance of these collections l)y small additions and by 

 the substitution in many instances of l)etter material and of a higher 

 class of preparations. Considerable progress was also made toward 

 completing the system of labeling. It had been anticipated that pro- 

 vision would have to be made during the 3'ear for housing the exhibit 

 made b}^ the Museum at the Pan-American ExpositioiL A large part 

 of the material was, however, sent to the South Carolina Interstate 

 and West Indian Exposition, but before the close of the year the 

 entire collection was back in Washington. The oljjeets returned 

 directly from Buffalo have been maiidy cared for l)y the transfer to 

 storage of some of the less desirable preparations previously dis- 

 pla3'ed, and by utilizing temporarily a part of the lecture hall. 



In the Department of Anthropology several of the halls have been 

 thoroughly renovated and in some the collections have been rein- 

 stalled. The cases in tht^. north-west range, devoted to the noithwest 

 coast Indians, and in the Pueblo court, have l)een rearranged, and 

 many have been removed to provide space for the large family groups 

 returned from the Pan-American Exposition. Material from the 

 Philippine and the South Sea Islands has been installed in Kensington 

 cases on the north gallery of the west hall. 



