THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



naturalist. The scene represents a pair of the White-throated 

 Thrush perched upon a branch of dogwood. The painting is the 

 gift of John R. Livermore, Esq., of this city. 



The aherations which have been in progress for several 

 months in the central portion of the building have been finished. 

 These consisted of the formation of an entrance hall to take the 

 place which was occupied for several years by the large lecture 

 hall of the Museum, and the cutting of passageways through the 

 basement underneath this new entrance w^ay in such a manner 

 as to permit of easy communication between all parts of the 

 cellar, an important factor in the economical handling of the 

 material which is in storage, or is in use in various laboratories. 

 The new entrance hall is oval in shape and the walls are adorned 

 with busts of eighteen American men of science. From the new 

 entrance hall the visitor can go at will to any of the exhibition 

 halls on the ground floor or to the elevators. One of the im- 

 provements affected during these alterations has been the con- 

 struction of two small assembly rooms which will be utilized for 

 classes which come to the Museum with their teachers, and for 

 meetings of the various scientific societies which make the 

 Museum their home. 



Mr. William Beutenmuller, Curator of Entomology, went 

 to North Carolina in May on a collecting trip in the Black 

 Mountains. This expedition was made possible by the gener- 

 osity of Mr. S. V. Hof[man, and is in continuation of the ento- 

 mological survey of the Black Mountain region which has been 

 carried on for some years by Mr. Beutenmiiller under grants from 

 the late Very Reverend E. A. Hoftman, D.D., LL.D. 



The Department of Archaeology has received a collection of 

 more than two hundred pre-historic shell implements from the 

 island of Barbados. These consist of hatchets, chisels and 

 similar tools from all parts of the island, and mostly made from 

 the shell of the large conch, Strombus gigas. Such celts are 

 peculiar to Barbados. Only two stone implements are in the 



67 



