14 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUiSEUM, 1891 



Board of Geojiraphic Names. The decisions of tliis Board in regard to 

 the spelling and pronunciation of geograijliical names will be accepted 

 as final. 



NECROLOGY. 



Mention ^should be made of the death of Mr. William Wesley, of 

 London, on April 17, 1891. For nearly thirty years he was identified 

 with the Smithsonian Institution as its agent in the transmission of 

 books and other material^ through the Bureau of International Ex- 

 changes. 



D.— THE CONDITION^ OF THE COLLECTIOl!^S. 



It is evident, from a perusal of the reports of the curators, that 

 special effort has been been made during the year to bring the collec- 

 tions into as satisfactory a condition as possible. The lack of space for 

 the installation of additional specimens in most of the departments 

 renders further development, so far as the exhibition series are con- 

 cerned, impracticable. 



A large proportion of the accessions is reserved for the duplicate 

 and study series, and the increase during the year, including the spec- 

 imens intended for exhibition, is indicated in the following table : 



Departments. 



Arts and industries : 



Matei'ia medica 



Animal products 



Domestic animals (for mountinii) 



Historical coUectiou, coins, medals, 

 paper money, etc 



Musical instruments 



Transportation and engineering 



Modern ijorcelain, porcelain and 

 bronzes 



Physical apparatus 



Graphic arts 



Ethnology 



American aboriginal pottery 



Oriental antiquities 



Prehistoric anthropology 



Mammal (skins and alcoholics) 



Birds 



Birds' eggs and nests 



No. of 

 speci- 

 mens. 



168 

 45 

 31 



3,000 



95 



222 



12 



10 



374 



1,800 



1,219 



2 



4,084 



465 



2,382 



925 



Departments. 



Reptiles and batrachians 



Fishes 



Vertebrate fossils 



Mollusks (including cenozoic fo.ssils) . 



Insects 



Marine invertebrates 



Comparative anatomy : 



Mammals (skulls and skeletons . . 



Birds / 



Eeptilcs and batrachians J 



Invertebrate fossils : 



Paleozoic 



Mesozoic 



Tossil plants 



Eecent jdants 



Minerals 



Geology 



No. of 



speci- 

 mens. 



885 



4,737 



9 



5,000 



12, 000 



6,750 



655 



615 



8,449 



178 



40, 963 



7, 135 . 



31,400 



133, 610 



In order to present a basis for comparison in the matter of the growth 

 of the collections during previous years and in 1891, the following table 

 is presented, showing the annual increase since 1881: 



