KEruKT OF ASSISTANT SE(UiKTAKY. 67 



collection of oSl phiiits, chiefly fi'oni the Philippine Islands, was 

 received as a donation from the Royal Botanic (lardens, Iv(nv. Knoland. 



A large amount of valua])le material, comprising more than (>,OitO 

 speciniiMis, was transmitted Ijy tln^ V. S. Department of Agriculture 

 during the 3'ear. The more important collections are as follows: From 

 Porto Uico, collected })y Messrs. (-ook. Underwood, and (Iriggs (1,100 

 specinuMis); from (Juatemala and lM(^\ico, coUecti'd by Messrs. (yook 

 and ( iriggs (1,0(>(» specimens); from Prazil, collected by ,Iose de ('ampos 

 Novaes (511 specimens); from Idaiioaiid W^'oming, collected l)y E. 1). 

 Meriill and (*. V. Wilcox (S()4 specimens); from vVlaska, Oregon, 

 Washington, and California, collected by F. A. Wal])ole (Til speci- 

 mens). The r. S. (Geological Sur\'(\v transmitted a collection of 4<S5 

 specimens, collected in Arizona by Mr. John 1). Leiberg, and the 

 U. 8. Fish Conmiission a colUn'tion of ;5L4 specimens, collected by 

 Professors E^'ermal^l and Clark in Indiana. 



Several important exchange's wer(^ efiected during tiie year. Men- 

 tion may be made here of the following: 747 ]V)rto Rican plants and 

 444 Mexican plants from the New York P>otanic (xarden; ^)o4 C'oloiado 

 plants from Mr. Frank Tweedy. 



During the year the Museum made ])ui'chascs of plants to the amount 

 of ^1,000 and about LO.loO spiM-imens were obtained. The largest 

 collections were 4, ;24!» specimens from China atid 1, (Mil) specimens from 

 Mexico. The remaining purchas(\s consisted chiefly of plants from 

 various parts of (he United States, as follows: Coloi'ado, l,.S,s;^>; Ftah, 

 455; California, 45(1; Gulf States, 445; (reorgia. 55S; Floi'ida, 52H. 



WORK ON THK STUDY SKKIKS. 



In the l)i\ision of Mannnals aconsiderablr amount of time wass])(>nt 

 in making uniform, complete labels to replace earlier ones, many of 

 which had deteriorated from long use or th(^ infiltration of oily matter 

 from the skins. The rearrangement of the small mannnals was prac- 

 tically completed last year as far as space would i)ei"mit. On account 

 of the cramped ([uarters it has been necessary to store many ti'ays of 

 less frequently us(>d material in boxes, a very undesirable i)lan. 

 During the year covered b}^ this report fi\e new cases win-e made for 

 the large manmials, and they are now all reasonably well protected 

 from (lust and insects, but are still nuudi overcrowded, so that they 

 are to a certain extent inaccessible and can not be properly arranged. 

 The large skins in vats ai'o still uncUnined and in danger of destruction, 

 no money having been available for their renovation. Of the small 

 skins, between 300 and 400 were freed from grease^ and made over 

 into"a suitable form foi- permanent preserxation. Among these were 

 included many typ«' specimens. The rooms for mannnals in alcohol 

 were improved by the addition of several hundretl feet of shelving, 



