REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 141 



The Director of the Geological Survey has, on several occasions, ex- 

 tended very important assistance to the geological departments of the 

 .Museum, and has inspired the geologists of the Survey in the matter of 

 advancing the interests of the Museum in every possible way, both in 

 connection with their field-work and while on duty in Washington. 



Several officers of the Geological Survey are officially connected with 

 the Museum in the capacity of honorary curators of collections. These 

 are Dr. C. A. White, in charge of Mesozoic fossils ; Mr. C. D. Wal- 

 cott, in charge of Paleozoic fossils; Mr. William H. Dall, in charge 

 of mollusks and tertiary fossils, with Dr. R. E. C. Stearns as adjuuct 

 curator; Prof. O. 0. Marsh, in charge of vertebrate fossils; Mr. Les- 

 ter F. Ward, in charge of fossil plants; Prof. F. W. Clarke, in charge 

 of minerals. To all of these gentlemen the National Museum offers its 

 sincere thanks for their services during the year. 



U. S. Patent Office. — Through the Commissioner of Patents were re- 

 ceived specifications and patents illustrating the development of pho- 

 tography and the graphic arts in the United States and in Germany. 



Bureau of Education. — Hon. N. H. R. Dawson, Commissioner, pre- 

 sented to the Museum a series of very interesting publications relating 

 to the subject of American educational history. 



DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. 



Col. Cecil Clay, chief clerk, collected in Canada and presented to the 

 Museum the skin and skeleton of a full-grown moose. 



POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT. 



By the direction of the Postmaster-General, the Superintendent of 

 the Dead-Letter Office has been requested to inform the Museum of the 

 receipt in his office of specimens which might be of value to the Mu- 

 seum collections. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Four departments of the Museum are under the charge of specialists 

 Connected with the Department of Agriculture ; namely, the Section of 

 Forestry, Dr. B. E. Fernow, Honorary Curator; Department of Insects. 

 Prof. C. V. Riley, Honorary Curator; Department of Botany, Dr. 

 George Vasey, Honorary Curator; and the Section of Foods, Prof. W. 

 O. At water, Honorary Curator. 



The Division of Entomology sent, through Prof. C. V. Riley, a col- 

 lection of insects, principally coleoptera from Michigan. 



The Bureau of Animal Industry transmitted, through 1). E. Salmon, 

 chief. of Bureau, a collection of parasites prepared by Dr. Cooper Cur- 

 tice. 



The Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy sent, through Dr. C. 

 Hart Merriam, collections of mammal skins and skulls, from Florida 



