KEPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



99 



The Biological Society of Washington has since October 1 held its 

 monthly meetings in the archive room of the Museum. The average 

 attendance at these meetings has been about 40 ; and many papers of 

 importance have been presented, a considerable portion of which related 

 to collections in the Museum. 



It is intended to fit up one of the smaller ranges in the new building 

 with chairs, in order that it may be used for meetings of this and sim- 

 ilar societies, and for use as a lecture-room at such times in the future 

 as it may be found desirable to have public lectures given in connection 

 with the work of the Museum. 



A table, prepared by Dr. Bean, showing the number of entries in the 

 record books for the years 1880 and 1881 is presented below, and Appen- 

 dix D a detailed alphabetical list of contributors to the Museum. 



Table showing the nitmier of entries in the record iooks of the United States National 

 Museum at the close of the years 1880 and 1881, respectively. 



Class. 



1880. 



1881. 



Increase 



1881. 



Mammals 



Birds 



Keptiles and ampMbians . 



Fishes 



Skeletons and skulls 



Eggs 



Crustaceans 



Annelids 



Mollusks 



Radiates 



Sponges and protozoans . 



Invertebrate fossils 



Minerals 



Buildi ng-stones , 



Ethnological specimens.. 



13, 264 

 81, 329 

 10, 517 

 26, 947 

 16. 367 

 18, 189 



2,514 



100 



33, 169 



3,345 



9,750 

 20, 450 



13, 360 

 85, 673 

 12, 490 

 29, 586 

 16, 610 

 18, 417 



3,678 



100 



33, 281 



4,703 



700 



11, 478 



21, 552 



2,932 

 51, 410 



97 

 4,345 

 1,974 

 2, 639 

 244 

 229 

 1,105 



113 

 1,359 



700 

 1.729 

 1,103 

 2,932 

 5,841 



Total increase, so far as entered in catalogue, 1881, 24,470. 



The principal operations in the Museum during the year may perhaps 

 best be described by a reference to what has been accomplished in each 

 special department of work. 



ART AND INDUSTRY. 



In the department of art and industry there has been considerable ac- 

 tivity, although the want of suitable exhibition cases has rendered it 

 impossible to show many of its results to the public. The great mass of 

 material acquired at the close of the Philadelphia Exhibition (which ma- 

 terial has since been stored in the Ai-mory building) has now been brought 

 to the Museum and stored in two of the central courts. The collections 

 of naval models and musical instruments and a portion of the Chinese 

 collection have been put in order and are ready for exhibition. 



Materia Medica. — The materia medica collections have been assorted 

 and catalogued by Dr. J. M. Flint, surgeon, U. S. N., who has been 

 detailed by the Surgeon-General of the Navy to superintend the work 

 of building uj) this department of the Museum. During the year most 

 of the drugs and medicines have been arranged, and the catalogue 



