REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY 

 FOR THE YEAR 1899-1900. 



By George P. Merrill, 



Head Curator. 



The fiscal year just closed has been one of steady progress in the 

 department, and so far as the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology is 

 concerned, has been notable for the marked increase in the size and 

 value of the collections. Indeed, it is not too much to say that, so 

 far as ac(iuisition of material is concerned, the progress made in this 

 section is without parallel in the history of the Museum. 



ACCESSIONS. 



The total luunber of accessions received by the various divisions is 

 tabulated below, the totals for 1898-99 being also given for the sake 

 of comparison: 



Divisions. 



Geology , 



Mineralogy , 



Vertebrate Paleontology . 

 Invertebrate Paleontology 

 Paleobotany 



Regular. 



108 

 37 

 30 



Tempo- 

 rary. 



189 

 120 



Total. 



1899-1900. 1898-99 



297 



157 



30 



279 

 116 



It is, however, impossible to gain from these figures any tangible 

 idea of the value or amount of material received, since accessions vary 

 almost indefinitely, not only in number of specimens, but in the value 

 of the individual objects comprising them. 



In the Division of Geology the more important materials received 

 were as follows: A series of orbicular granites from Finland, Sweden, 

 and Rhode Island; a series of nearly -100 specimens of volcanic 

 materials from the Hawaiian Islands; some 2,000 specimens of rocks 

 representing areas surveyed by the United States Geological Survey," 

 and turned into the Museum for preservation, with a view to future 

 reference in accordance with the usual custom. These comprise rocks 

 from the Little Belt Mountains, the Uv^alde, the Anthracite and Crested 

 Butte, and the Big Trees quadrangles; and the Silver Clili' and Kosita 

 districts of Colorado, besides much miscellaneous material. 



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