22 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 189.-). 



Dr. Theodore dill and Dr. \l. K. ('. Stearns are now recognized as 

 Associates in /ooloi;y, Dr. C. A. AVhite, in paleontology, and Dr. II. W. 

 Sbufeldt, in comparative anatomy. 



Tu Jannary Dr. G. V. Merrill was detailed for special duty in the 

 office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. 



Mr. F. 11. Knowlton resigned on July o, 1894, although he is still 

 connected with the Museum in an honorary capacity as custodian of 

 mesozoic ]»lants. 



During the year Dr. .1. N. Kose, of the Department of Agriculture, 

 was appointed honorary assistant curator of the department of botany 

 in tlie jMuseum, and Mr. E. S. Matthews was appointed an aid in the 

 department of mammals. 



On October 1, 1S()4, Dr. Walter Hough was appointed assistant 

 curator of the department of ethnology; Mr. Charles W. Eichmond was 

 appointed an assistant in the department of birds on July 1 of the same 

 year, and on November 1 Miss M. J. Eathbun, connected with the 

 department of marine invertebrates, was made an assistant curator. 



Mr. Charles T. Simi)son was designated assistant in charge of the 

 department of mollusks on May 1 7, during the absence in Alaska of 

 Dr. Dall, honorary curator. 



ACCESSIONS TO THE COLLECTIONS. 



The accession entries relating to material received during the year 

 have occupied Nos. 28312 to 29534, inclusive, giving a total of 1,223 

 separate lots. This is an increase of 62 over the preceding year, and 

 any increase is the more remarkable from the fact that with very few 

 exceptions no effort whatever has been made to induce persons to 

 deposit their collections in the National Museum. This undesirable 

 l)olicy has been made necessary by the entire lack of additional exhibi- 

 tion space. The material received during tlie year has for the most part 

 been placed in storage, It amounts to 127,324 specimens of all kinds. 

 The three departments receiving the largest increases were prehistoric 

 anthropology, mollusks, and insects. An effort has been made to 

 obtain from the curators iigures representing the number of specimens 

 received during the year, as well as the total number of specimens in 

 their departments on June 30, 1895. The appended tables, A and B, 

 show the results. It is shown that there are now 3,4(K3,855 specimens 

 of all kinds in the custody of the Museum. 



The table indicating in parallel columns the totals in the different 

 departments at the end of each year since 1882 has been withdrawn, as it 

 was found that without numerous footnotes it was impossible to account 

 for the discrepancies which appeared to exist from a comparison of the 

 totals of one year with another in the light of the table giving the num- 

 ber of specimens received in each department during the year. This 

 last number added to the total for the previous year seldom gave the 

 actual total for the year following, on account of specimens withdrawn 

 for distribution and otherwise disposed of. On the other hand, as in 



