THE MUSEUM. 



369 



coo specimens. Of this number per- 

 haps one-fifth are mounted and ex- 

 hibited to the general visitor. The 

 most of them are mounted singly in 

 stereotyped museum style, but lately 

 some grouping has been done. A 

 group of Flamingoes, one of Jacanas, 

 a. nest of the Shrike with young and 

 parent birds, a flock of Carolina Paro- 

 quets, feeding on cockle burrs and 

 roosting in a hollow tree, and a num- 

 ber of others. 



Marine animals, fishes and inverte- 

 brates, reptiles and batrachians and 

 the immense Conchological depart- 

 ment occupy the remainder of the first 

 floor used for exhibition purposes. 

 Much of this building is used for office 

 purposes as well as those rooms men- 

 tioned in the Museum. 



The main hall of the second floor 

 200 by 50 feet contains the most ex- 

 tensive archeological collectiouv in the 

 world in relation to North America 

 certainly the largest and most inter- 

 esting in this country, as illustrating 

 the customs of early man the world 

 over. One of the most valuable col- 

 lections here is the Latimer Collection 

 of Antiquities from Porto Rico, which 

 Mr. Geo. Latimer, the collector, gave 

 the Museum after refusing an offer of 

 $15,000 for it. 



The Exhibits in the building of the 

 Museum proper are so extensive that 

 days might be consumed in examining 

 them and to merely mention them all 

 would require more time and space 

 than can be found at present. Prin- 

 cipal however are the historical objects 

 and musical instruments of all nations 

 in the North Hall. The mammals in 

 the South Hall include some of the 

 best examples of American taxidermy 

 extant. The George Catlin gallery of 



about 600 paintings illustrates life 

 among 48 tribes of North American 

 Indians, in the West North Range. 

 The Northwest Range contains a 

 splendid illustration of the Graphic 

 Arts, ancient and modern. 



The West Hall contains hundreds of 

 invaluable Anthropological collections. 

 In the mineral collection of the South 

 West Range is the most extensive col- 

 lection of meteorites in the country. 

 The collections in the South West 

 Court illustrate the mining of a great 

 variety of ores and metals. A large 

 collection of massive ore is found in 

 the open air at the west front of the 

 building. 



In the Lithological collections in 

 the West South Range are about 

 2,000 specimens of building and orna- 

 mental stones representing all the 

 quarries of importance in the United 

 States. 



The skeletons and skulls in the East 

 South Range are always interesting to 

 the zoologist and have here been so 

 arranged that the general public find 

 them quite fascinating. 



The South East Court is occupied 

 by fossils, the South East Range by 

 Materia Medica, crude and finished. 



The East Hall collections are of 

 weapons and armor, and implements 

 of locomotion and progression and are 

 intensely interesting as are the objects 

 illu.strating the Arts and Industries in 

 the North East Court. Here is the 

 exhibit of general taxidermy in the 

 section of Animal Industries. 



The ships and boats of all ages and 

 nations are represented in the North 

 East Range forming one of the most 

 instructive exhibits here, attractive 

 alike to young and old. 



Fisheries of all kinds are fully illus- 



