REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



77 



condition of the collections is also pressing, and is referred to in the 

 report of the department as follows : 



It is urgent that cases be provided at an early date to relieve the present congested 

 condition of the vertebrate collections and to provide space for the rapidly accumu- 

 lating material. There are two hundred and twenty-five boxes of vertel)rate material 

 now in storage, awaiting a preparator. The preparation of this material for study 

 and exhibition will occupy all the time of one man no less than three years, and it is 

 to be hoped that means will be available during 1896-97 to secure such a person. 



.j^ ^ ji ^ ^ ^ 7^ 



All the rooms now occupied by the various sections in the department of paleon- 

 tology are crowded, and, while here and there small areas are available for additional 

 cases of standard drawers, more exhibition space is required. This is especially so 

 in the section of vertebrate fossils, since nearly all of the organisms are large and 

 can best be housed in the exhibition series. Space for these collections can be 

 secured if permanent castas are built around the walls of the southeast court and the 

 standard cases now occupying that space be placed upon a gallery. If such a gallery 

 is built in the southeast court, ample exhiljition and storage space will be at hand 

 for the natural increase of the collections during the next few years. 



Further drawer space is necessary to complete the housing of the Lacoe study 

 collection. More than two-thirds of this collection is now stored in the two upper 

 rooms of the south towers of the Natioual iluseuni building. The west room is 

 completely occupied with cases provided with standard drawers, while the east 

 room is but half occupied. 



It is not possible to give accurate iigures for the number of specimens 

 received during the year in the various sections of the department. 

 The figures given below represent the catalogue entries and the addi- 

 tions to the permanent collections. 



Paleozoic invertebrates 

 Mesozoic invertebrates 

 Cenozoic invertebrates 



Vertebrates 



Fossil plants 



9,766 



DEPARTMENT OF PLANTS (NATIONAL HERBARIUM). 



The number of accessions for the year was two hundred and thirty- 

 six, as against six hundred and seventy for the preceding year. There 

 was, however, no falling oft' in the number of specimens included, but, 

 on the other hand, a slight increase. The question of scientific value 

 is of greatest imp(u-tance, however, and when the accumulations of the 

 year are measured by this standard the results are very gratifying. 



Among the important accessions were five lots of Mexican plants, 

 purchased from Mr, E. W. ISTelson, and aggregating two thousand four 

 hundred specimens; five hundred and eleven specimens presented by 

 the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, India; fifty-eight specimens presented 



