8 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



MUSEUM CATALOGUES.* 



The following exhaustive account of the manuscript catalogues of 

 the Museum has been prepared by Mr. Randolph I. Geare : 



The catalogue system of the Museum was devised and commenced 

 in April, 1839, by Professor Baird, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, while en- 

 gaged in work upon his private collection of birds. The book in which 

 the specimens in this collection were recorded is now Vol. 1 of the Bird 

 Catalogue, and is in the custody of Mr. Ridgway, Curator of Birds. 



When Professor Baird became Assistaut Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in 1850, he brought with him ami presented to the Na- 

 tional Museum his private collection of birds, and a large general nat- 

 ural history collection, tilling an entire baggage car. The bird collection 

 was catalogued between 1839 and 1848. 



After Professor Baird accepted the position of Assistant Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, his system of cataloguing was adopted 

 for the Government collections. 



When the cataloguing of the Museum specimens was commenced, it 

 was found more convenient to keep the records of the several collec- 

 tions in one book. For many years all objects other than specimens of 

 natural history were entered in the "Ethnology " series. Vol. xi of this 

 series is the first that was set apart for the entry of material of a 

 specified character, and in it are recorded materia medica specimens. 

 Musical instruments, fishery implements, foods, textiles, and other 

 classes of specimens are also included in this volume. A catalogue for 

 mineral and metallurgical specimens was opened in 1859, for fossils in 

 1859, for vertebrate specimens in 1840, for birds in 1839, for mammals 

 in 1852, for mollusks in 1859. This early system of cataloguing was, 

 although not entirely satisfactory, under the circumstances necessary; 

 but during later years every special collection has been provided with its 

 own catalogue book, and in some instances the curators have found it con- 

 venient to assign a different book to the several groups of objects un- 

 der their custody. The total number of catalogue books in the Museum, 

 entirely or partly filled, is 151, as shown in the following enumeration: 



Series. 



El hnology 



Mineralogy and metallurgy 



Fossils 



Birds 



Vertebrates 



Mammals 



Mollusks 



Fishes 



No. of 

 cata- 

 logue 



books. 



31 



17 

 G 



23 

 7 

 4 



24 

 6 

 9 



Series. 



Marine invertebrates 



Reptiles and batrachians 



Recent plants 



Insects 



Graphic arts 



Textiles and foods 



Transportation and engineering 

 Living animals 



No. of 



cata- 

 logue 

 books. 



12 

 4 

 2 

 1 

 1 

 2 

 1 

 1 



151 



* Catalogue entries made later than June 30, 1889, are in many instances referred 

 to, the preparation of this statement not having been completed until the end of the 

 calendar year 1889. 



