III.- SPECIAL TOPICS OF THE YEAR. 



THE UNUSUAL CHARACTER OF THE YEAR'S WORK. 



The activities of the entire staff liave been in a large degree diverted 

 to exposition work, as they were last year and are likely to be for a year 

 to come. Many of the Museum halls have been closed, being needed 

 for the work of mounting and packing the collections. Many of our 

 employees have been transferred to the exhibition staff, and at the time 

 of this report are absent in Chicago, while a considerable number of 

 others have been detailed for special service at the fair, or have been 

 given special leaves of absence to attend the congresses or to act as 

 judges of awards. 



A large number of specimens and cases have been withdrawn from 

 the exhibition halls and sent to the expositions in Madrid and Chicago, 

 and it has required the utmost ingenuity to fill the gaps thus caused,' 

 so that the collections may be presentable in the eyes of the visitors, 

 who are quite as numerous this year, and among whom are many from 

 foreign lands. 



Indeed, the occasion is really a revolution in museum affairs, and it 

 will require fully a year after the return of the collections next winter 

 to readjust the collections and to reestablish customary routine. 



All of this is accepted without complaint, because, though the 

 Museum undoubtedly loses much more than it gains on such occasions, 

 the opportunity for popular education is too important to be neglected, 

 and the anniversary is one for which no outlay of labor and expense 

 can be too great. 



The effect of this upheaval, extending as it has and will over a period 

 of nearly four years, must, however, of necessity be manifest in this 

 report, and it should be read with the facts just mentioned in mind. 



The responsibility of the Assistant Secretary in preparing for the two 

 expositions, and the completion of the report on the deep-sea fishes of the 

 Albatross and Blalce expeditions, and his long absence from the city on 

 official duty, have rendered it impossible for hiui to attend, as usual, to 

 the details of museum administration, except in connection with the 

 present report. Mr. Frederick W. True, as curator in charge, has very 

 faithfully and successfully dh-ected the work of this unusually trying 

 year. 



CHANGES IN THE FORM OF THE ANNUAL REPORTS. 



Each report upon the Museum is intended to convey to every one inter- 

 ested in its work, and especially to Congress, an exact idea of what 

 has been done during the year, the relation of the work done to that of 



. 59 



