Appendix 1. 



EEPOET ON THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 

 tions of the United States National Museum for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1915 : 



INTRODUCTORY. 



In the last two reports the general status and arrangement of the 

 public collections in all departments were briefly reviewed. Since 

 then the exhibits of anthropolog}^, biology, and geology in the new 

 building have undergone few material changes, though they have 

 received many important additions and there has been an improve- 

 ment in the condition of a large number of specimens which needed 

 renovation. It having become necessary to provide a place for the 

 larger whale skeletons, which were not transferred at the time of 

 the general moving of the zoological collections, the south hall in the 

 second story of the west wing, previously assigned to marine in- 

 vertebrates, was allotted to this purpose and the invertebrates were 

 taken to the north side of the building on the same floor. The re- 

 installations necessitated by these changes were in progress at the 

 close of the year. 



The accommodations afforded by the improvised picture gallery 

 in the north main hall have been entirel}^ outgrown and the point 

 has been reached where the paintings must be so crowded as to 

 utterly destroy their effect. There is no other suitable location to 

 Avhich this important collection can be extended and would-be con- 

 tributors find no encouragement in the conditions. The time has 

 certainly arrived when serious consideration should be given toward 

 providing proper means for sheltering and displaying the art treas- 

 ures of the Museum, in which connection the interests of the Na- 

 tional Gallery of Art are vitally at stake. 



The work of renovation of the main hall in the Smithsonian 

 building, which continued throughout the year, prevented the exe- 

 cution of the proposed plans for the enlargement and improvement 

 of the exhibition series of the graphic arts. In the older Museum 

 building the installations, especially in the recently reorganized di- 

 visions, steadily progressed with very measurable advancement. In 

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