84 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



Uuder the head of ex])lorations meution is made in the curator's 

 report of the material secured by the field parties of the United States 

 Geological Survey, and also of the collections obtained by the assistant 

 curator in the zinc regions of New Jersey. A nearly complete set of 

 the minerals of this region was secured. 



Eeference to the work of Dr. W. F. Hillebrand, of the United States 

 Geological Survey, who prosecuted certain investigations in the depart- 

 ment during the year, will be found in another place. 



The honorary curator has published three papers during the period 

 covered by this report. 



Among the plans proposed for the future, special reference is made 

 by the curator to the establishment of a series illustrating mineral 

 technology. 



Nearly 1,100 specimens were added to the collection. The last cata- 

 logue entry in June, 1895, was 83613, and in June, 1896, 83761. 



DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY. 



The number of i)ermanent accessions during the year was eighty- 

 eight, as against seventy-nine for the i)receding year. There were also 

 one hundred and sixty "temporary" accessions, consisting of material 

 received for examination and report. This is an increase of thirty-eight 

 over the preceding year. The value of the material received during the 

 year covered by this report is considerably greater than of that received 

 in 1894-95, owing to the character of the specimens obtained by pur- 

 chase for exhibition at the Cotton States and International Exposition 

 at Atlanta. 



Among the important accessions, the following are mentioned by the 

 curator, Dr. George P. Merrill: 



(1) Collection of gold and silver minerals, purcliased for the Atlanta Exposition. 

 Valne, $600. 



(2) Two slabs of serpentine marble from Westfield, Muss. ; septaria nodules from 

 England; alabaster from Tnscany, and obsidian from Lipari. 



(3) A collection of nonmetallic minerals, rocks, etc., and five hundred and six 

 tbin sections of iron ores, collected during the vrork of the Tenth Census, but just 

 turned over to the department by Prof. R. Pumpelly. 



(4) One stalactite from the Copper Queen Mine, Bisbee, Ariz. (Purchase.) 



(5) Amphora and other vessels of stalagmite from Egypt. (Purchase.) 



(6) Collection of one hundred and sixteen specimens of gold and silver ores from 

 North and South Carolina, Georgia., and Alabama, received from the United States 

 Geological Survey. 



(7) Collection of rocks and soils from Bermuda. (Gift of Dr. D. W. Prentiss.) 



(8) Columnar sandstones from Zittau, Germany. (Gift of A. Kraus, United States 

 consular agent.) 



(9) Lithological collections, representing some live hundred specimens, collected 

 in various parts of the United States. (From the United States Geological Survey.) 



A portion of the material received during the year was collected by 

 the curator personally. 



Kegarding the care of the collections. Dr. Merrill says that over six 

 hundred printed labels for the exhibition series have been received from 



