REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 15 



ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTIONS. 



The principal source of accessions during the past year was, as a 

 whole, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The exhibition made in 

 that connection by the Museum itself contained many important 

 objects acquired through the Government appropriation for the 

 exposition, which, at its close, were incorporated in the exhibition 

 series here, excepting such as were sent to the Lewis and Clark Expo- 

 sition at Portland, Oregon. 



Besides these, however, and much more noteworthy, were the gifts 

 made to the national collections by several foreign governments, by 

 many States of the Union, and by a large number of individuals 

 having exhibits at St. Louis. So extensive in fact were these contri- 

 butions that they amounted in bulk to about 30 carloads, all of 

 which were brought to Washington in apparent safety, though, in 

 view of the crowded condition of the Museum, only a relatively small 

 amount of the material could be cared for in the exhibition halls or 

 with the study series, it being necessary to place the greater bulk of 

 the collections in storage in the boxes in which the specimens were 

 packed. In addition to specimens there were also about five car- 

 loads of exhibition cases donated by exhibitors. 



The Department of Biology profited very little from these gifts, 

 much the larger part being illustrative of ethnology, geology, and the 

 arts and industries. As the collections did not reach Washington 

 until late in the year and could only be partially unpacked and 

 examined, it is quite impossible at this time to give even a satisfac- 

 tory general account of them. 



Reference is made elsewhere to the establishment of a Department 

 of Mineral Technology. The object in recognizing such a department 

 at this time was that intelligent direction might be given to the selec- 

 tion of objects at the St. Louis Exposition, where exceptional oppor- 

 tunities existed for obtaining material relating to the subject. The 

 spirit of liberality displayed by those having exhibits of this character 

 resulted in donations to the extent of 25 out of the 35 carloads above 

 referred to, representing many different parts of the world, and com- 

 prisirg the natural products, models or actual examples of the appli- 

 ances of manufacture and the finished products in many departments 

 of mineral industry. As it was understood that this material woidd 

 have to go into storage, it was packed at St. Louis with this object in 

 view, and, accordingly, no detailed inventory of the specimens can 

 be made for some time. 



The Department of Geology received many important additions, 

 especially in the w T ay of large masses and pieces, for most of which 

 appropriate places have already been found in the exhibition halls. 

 The collections for the Department of Anthropology, next in extent 



