EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 27 



gate in attending the meetings of the commission, one thousand three 

 hundred dollars." The publications of the Seismological Association 

 are distributed to American correspondents through the medium of 

 the International Exchanges. 



Hayden Memorial JledaL — There was presented to the Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution on January 7, 1908, the Hayden memo- 

 rial geological medal. This gold medal was established by the Phila- 

 delphia Academy of Natural Sciences as a memorial of Prof. F. V. 

 Hayden, the eminent geologist and explorer, and was presented to 

 Doctor Walcott in these terms : " In recognition of the value of your 

 individual contributions to geological science and of the benefits de- 

 rived from your able and conscientious discharge of the official trust 

 confided to you." 



NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The operations of the National Museum showing the progress made 

 during the year and the present condition of the collections are dis- 

 cussed in the appendix to the present report and in a separate volume 

 by the assistant secretary in charge, and need not here be taken up in 

 detail. 



Over 200,000 anthropological, biological, and geological speci- 

 mens were received during the year, including manj^ objects of 

 extreme interest. The most important loan addition to the his- 

 torical collections was the American flag, nearly 30 feet square, 

 which floated over Fort McHenry during the war of 1812 and which 

 was the inspiration for the writing of the verses of the " Star- 

 Spangled Banner," by Francis Scott Key. Eelating to ethnology 

 and biology, there were received, as in former years, many important 

 contributions from Dr. "^V. L. Abbott and Maj. Edgar A. IMearns. 

 Many zoological and botanical specimens have been deposited by the 

 Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Fisheries, and other gov- 

 ernment institutions. In geology the most important accessions 

 included the Hambach collection of fossil invertebrates, purchased by 

 the Smithsonian Institution, some rare species of fossil reptiles and 

 mammals from South America, and fossil mammals from Alaska. I 

 may also mention a large series of Cambrian fossils collected by me in 

 British Columbia and Idaho. Specimens of rocks and ores, mainly 

 from the Geological Survey, were added to the collections; also a 

 number of rare minerals. 



Wliile the museum is the custodian of government collections, and 

 while to the public its main feature is the exhibition of character- 

 istic objects in its several divisions, yet the law demands that the 

 material shall be classified and properly arranged, a task which 

 involves a large amount of research work. The work during the 



