Editorial. 455 



remarkably successful, and the forthcoming i)apers will contain descrip- 

 tions of a large number of species new to science. 



On May 2d, while walking along the north bank of the Allegheny 

 River, below the dam which has been built by the United States 

 Government, Mr. John Clouse found lying upon the shore a huge tusk, 

 which has since been secured for the Carnegie Museum. When first 

 found by Mr. Clouse the tusk measured nine feet four inches in length 

 along its outer curve. Unfortunately while exposed to view in a saloon 

 where it was first exhibited some bits of the base of the tusk were broken 

 off by the fingers of the curious, thus slightly reducing its length. 

 Otherwise it preserves in outline all its characteristic features. A 

 superficial study of the tusk inclines the Director of the Museum to 

 believe that it is the left tusk of Elephas colombi Falconer. The 

 peculiar curvature of the tusk is such as to suggest this specific deter- 

 mination. There has not been time as yet to study the specimen 

 with minute care. It is, however, in a very good state of preser- 

 vation, and will not require from present appearances to be greatly 

 reinforced, although it has become necessary to treat it externally with 

 a coating of shellac. 



Ever since the new building was occupied our entomological col- 

 lections, which are vast, have been more or less inaccessible for pur- 

 poses of study, owing to the fact that no provision had been made for 

 cases in which to systematically arrange and display them. The prob- 

 lem of designing a system of cases, which would meet the requirements, 

 has for a long time engaged the careful attention of the Director of 

 the Museum, and early in the winter he began the drawing of plans 

 for a gallery and a series of cases rising from the floor to the ceiling 

 of the entomological laboratory. The gallery is a light structure of 

 steel, so built as to admit of the placing of the cabinets underneath 

 and above. The work of the construction of the steel part of the 

 gallery was awarded to the Chester B. Albree Manufacturing Company ; 

 the building of the cabinets is being carried on in the shops of the 

 Museum under the supervision of Mr. Banks, the foreman. When 

 completed our collections will be properly housed and arranged. A 

 similar gallery with cabinets is proposed for the laboratory of Inverte- 

 brate Zoology, under the care of Dr. Ortmann, who at present is 

 laboring under many disadvantages owing to the fact that the furniture 



