PROCEEDINGS OF THE EEGENTS. 119 



erected in 1900 in the Court of Honor of the Louvre, Paris, France. 

 The statue in Paris is of heroic size and in bronze, and was presented 

 to France by the school children of the United States. The copy 

 given to the Museum is the original plaster model, of natural size, 

 in excellent condition, and has been installed in the rotunda of the 

 new building. 



Collection of pianos. — Since the beginning of the present fiscal 

 year the Museum has received a remarkable donation consisting of an 

 historical collection of pianos, the gift of Mr. Hugo "VVorch, of 

 Washington, by whom they had been assembled. Mr. Worch is a 

 student of the piano, on which he is preparing an extensive memoir, 

 which is now approaching completion, hence he has sought a place 

 where his collection could be permanently preserved. The series 

 consists of over 200 examples, covering the entire period from the 

 invention of the piano, shown in the various changes in construction 

 and the great variety of form and decoration of the case. The col- 

 lection is very beautiful, instructive, and has involved a very large 

 expenditure on the part of Mr. Worch. It is being installed in the 

 first gallery of the rotunda in the new building, which it will entirely'' 

 fill. The Museum was already in possession of one of the best col- 

 lections of musical instruments in any of the museums of the country 

 and the addition of such an important special series will probably 

 give it a very high standing. 



Gift of Mr. John B. Henderson.^ 'jr. — During a number of years 

 the Museum has been placed under deep obligations to Mr. John B. 

 Ilenderson, jr., a Eegent of the Institution, for valuable collections 

 of marine animals secured in the course of his own explorations, in a 

 number of which members of the Museum staff have participated as 

 guests of Mr. Henderson. Very recently Mr. Henderson has made a 

 most exceptional donation to the Museum, consisting of over 30,000 

 specimens of land, fresh-water, and marine mollusks, assembled dur- 

 ing a long period of years and representing in a broad sense the 

 donor's special lines of study. Notable among its contents are 

 specially fine series from Japan collected by Hirase, and from the 

 Philippines by Quadras; the old and valuable collection of J. H. 

 Redfield in its entirety ; and a complete set of the fluviatile and land 

 shells of the Southern States. This is unquestionably one of the 

 most valuable additions to the division of mollusks of the Museum 

 since the bequest of Dr. Isaac Lea. 



BUIiEAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY. 



The Bureau of American Ethnology has been devoting special 

 attention to the study of certain tribes of Indians on the verge of 

 extinction. To this end successful efforts have been made in record- 

 ing the languages, beliefs, and customs of some of the tribes of 



