IIFA'OIIT OF ACTI\(; ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 2.'J 



Many of tW. nioinlteis of the scieiitilic staff of tlie Museum have 

 eu{^n<^('(\ ill lield-woik dmiiij^ the year, and have been supplied with 

 suitable outfits. 



DEVKLOPMKNT AND ARUANGEMENT OF THE EXHIBITION SERIES. 



No (hanjjes of speeial importance have been made in the exhibition 

 series diirinj; the y(;ai". A portion of the time of tlie curators was 

 occnpieil in |)i (-[lariii^' exhibits fur the Tennessee Centennial Ex])osi- 

 tion, and the work of constructing" galleries in several of the halls and 

 courts necessarily caused considerable disturbance, and effectually 

 l)revented any permanent improvements being made in the arrange- 

 ment of the collections. 



In the department of mammals a number of antlers of wapiti and 

 carib«)n were hung on the walls, but otherwise the exhibition series 

 remains practically unchanged. The collections are very much 

 crowded and are in need of labels. The taxideimist in the depart- 

 ment of birds has been engaged almost constantly during the year in 

 cleaning specimens in the exhibition series and in sui)]»lying them with 

 new su])i)orts and label-holders. The cases are not dust-proof, and 

 constant care is necessary to keep the collection in good condition. 

 The specimens are considerably crowded, but otherwise they present 

 a better appearance than for some time past. Portions of the series 

 have been rearranged; many new specimen labels have been supplied 

 in place of species labels, and descriptive labels for families have been 

 <iuite generally placed. A few specimens have been remounted, some 

 of which were sent to the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The exhi- 

 bition series in the department of fishes remains much the same as 

 heret<^)fore ; a few additions have been made during the year. The 

 mounted series of mollusks has been enlarged, but is withdrawn tem- 

 porarily for exhibition at Nashville. No material change has been 

 made in the unmounted portion of the exhibition series. The collec- 

 tions on exhibition in the department of comparative anatomy are in 

 excellent condition. A great deal of time has necessarily been devoted 

 to rearrangement, owing to the disturbance caused by laying a new 

 floor in this hall. A small collection of insects is still exhibited at the 

 foot of the stairway leading to the offices of the department, no more 

 suitable pla(-e being at present available. 



Much time has been devoted to the exhibition series of fossil verte 

 brates and fossil jjlants, but these collections arc still in a condition 

 far from satisfa(;tory. When the new gallery is tinish(;d, the former 

 series will be considerably enlarged. That portion known as the 

 "Marsh Collection " needs labeling, and the entire invertebrate exhi- 

 bition series should be mounted on tiles. 



The collecticni of gems has been remounted and installed in four 

 cases instead of two, as heretofore. A case containing a series of 

 specimens illustrating the mineralogy of Sussex County, New Jersey, 



