REPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 35 



kiudly furnished tlie lights to illuminate the entire building, especially 

 the fisheries section, and a large number of visitors were present on the 

 occasion. On the evening of May 13 a public meeting took place, Hon. 

 Elbridge G. Lapbam in the chair. The formal address was delivered by 

 Hon. Theodore Lyman, of Massachusetts, who was followed by Hon. 

 S. S. Cox, of New York, in a second address. 



American Dental Association, July 22-23: Four meetings were held. 



Society of American Taxidermists, July 80: One meeting was held. 



Society of Naturalists of the Eastern United States, December 29- 

 30 : Four meetings were held. 



The Biological Society' of Washington : Fortnightly meetings were 

 held between June 25 and May 31, and between November 1 and De- 

 cember 27. In all there were fifteen meetings. 



The Entomological Society of Washington held three meetings in 

 the office of the assistant director, on May 8, June 3, and November 3, 

 respectively. 



On Jan«ary 11, permission was granted to members of the Argent 

 Club, an association of amateur photographers, to hold their monthly 

 meetings in the photographic laboratory of the Museum. 



14. CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE WORK, 

 (a) Buildings and labor, police and public comfort. 



At the commencement of the year the administrative staff for police 

 and inspection consisted of Henry Horan, superintendent of buildings, 

 2 assistant superintendents, 12 watchmen, and 5 doorkeepers; for con- 

 struction, care of buildings, and repairs, 8 carpenters, 3 painters, and 

 1 mason ; for labor and cleaning, 20 laborers, 2 attendants, and 4 clean- 

 ers. For heating and lighting there were employed 1 engineer and 4 

 firemen. The same system of Museum messenger-service as was adopted 

 in 1883 is still in practice, and greatly facilitates the despatch of busi- 

 ness between the offices of the divisions of administration and the offi- 

 cers and employes of the Museum. Two Museum messengers are now 

 employed, it having been found impracticable for one to complete the 

 round of the buildings within the necessary limit of time — one hour. 



The following abstract of the report of Mr. Horan, the superintend- 

 ent of buildings, is here presented, to give an idea of the maniier in 

 which the mechanics and laborers have been employed. The main 

 features of the work mentioned by him and discussed elsewhere in this 

 report form the standpoint of the general administration : 



la the early part of January the exhibits of metals, ores, &c., transferred to the 

 Smithsonian Institution at the end of the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 were brought 

 into the Museum and assigned to their respective departments. 



A great many heavy specimens were brought into the New Museum from the Smith- 

 Konian building during the early part of the year, including the Egyptian statuary, 

 a pair of Haviland vases vrhich were exhibited at the Centennial Exhil)iti()u, &c. 

 Much time was also occupied during the first part of the year in shipping to their 

 owners exhibits which had been sent to Loudon in conjunction with the exhibit of 



