Report on the United States 

 National Museum 



Sm : I have the honor to submit the following report on the condition 

 and operations of the U.S. National Museum for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1960 : 



COLLECTIONS 



Durmg the year 2,014,443 specimens were added to the national 

 collections and distributed among the eight departments as follows: 

 Anthropology, 57,202; zoology, 346,610; botany, 56,989; geology, 

 33,079; science and teclinology, 1,433; arts and manufactures, 1,075; 

 civil history, 1,514,274; and Armed Forces history, 3,780. Included 

 in the above total were 1,488,864 stamps, 215,686 insects, and 75,014 

 marine invertebrates. Most of the specimens were acquired as gifts 

 from individuals or as tranfers from Government departments and 

 agencies. The Annual Report of the Museum, published as a 

 separate document, contains a detailed list of the year's acquisitions, 

 of which the more important are summarized below. Catalog entries 

 in all departments now total 54,007,823. 



Anthropology. — Among the items transferred to the Smithsonian 

 Institution were a number of interesting ethnological objects presented 

 to President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his recent eastern good- 

 will tour. Included was a full-size Iranian desk of Khatamkari 

 inlay made by the foremost craftsmen in the reign of Reza Shad and 

 used by him and the present Shah. An excellent Mende (Sierra 

 Leone) helmet mask, complete with raffia fringe, of the type used in 

 initiating girls into the Sande Society, was presented by Mrs. Virginia 

 Pollak. Two hundred specimens from the Wai Wai Indians, living 

 in British Guiana, collected by Dr. CliiTord Evans, associate curator, 

 and Dr. Betty J. Meggers, research associate, division of archeology, 

 were turned over to the division of ethnology. Included in this unique 

 collection are wooden stools, cassava graters, pottery vessels, articles 

 of clothing and ornament, tools, weapons, and utensils. 



Mrs, E. E. Daman of Louisville, Ky., presented a fine Chinese 

 imperial dragon robe of the late Ch'ing dynasty. An excellent walrus- 

 ivory cribbage board, carved in relief with human and animal motifs, 

 collected near Nome, Alaska, was received from Mr. and Mrs. W. 

 De Witt of Erie, Pa. Articles of Korean costumes made of colorful 



