REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1911. 47 



wart hog, two hyenas, a zebra, a klipspringer, a bear, and a goat. 

 The remainder were chiefly rodents. Small models were made of a 

 topi antelope, a duiker antelope, and two water bucks, and the 

 mounting of a reticulated giraffe was begun. Much additional work 

 also devolved upon the mammal taxidermists in attending to the 

 preservation of skins as they were received from the field, and the 

 preparation of specimens for the reserve series as well as for future 

 mounting. 



For the new exhibition series of birds, 34 specimens were mounted, 

 among them being two examples of the remarkable whale-billed stork 

 from the African expedition of the Smithsonian Institution, which 

 were combined in a group ; 33 important mounted specimens, includ- 

 ing several birds of paradise and other valuable exotic species, were 

 made over; and the mounted domestic pigeons, an interesting series 

 of thoroughbred birds which had been in storage for some years, were 

 renovated and placed on the dove-cot which had been rebuilt for their 

 reception. Other work consisted in the preparation of skins for the 

 reserve series, the repair of specimens, etc. 



In osteology, 128 skeletons of birds and 32 of mammals, both liga- 

 mentary and disarticulated, were prepared; 69 skeletons and over 

 3,000 skulls of mammals, besides many separate bones, were cleaned ; 

 and skeletons of a humpback whale and a killer whale were cleaned 

 and partly mounted. A large part of the above material was from 

 east Africa, and in addition a number of skeletons from specimens 

 received from the National Zoological Park were roughed out. Casts 

 of several cetaceans, reptiles, and batrachians were also made for 

 the exhibition collections. 



The exhibition collections. — The installation of the exhibition col- 

 lections in biology, which for the present are being restricted to 

 zoology, presents exceptional difficulties on account of the variety 

 of subjects and the diversity in character of the objects to be provided 

 for. Furthermore, the overcrowding of the quarters heretofore occu- 

 pied by the zoological exhibits necessitated some years back a prac- 

 tical cessation in their increase and rendered inexpedient any special 

 effort for their betterment. It has, therefore, all along been recog- 

 nized that a creditable installation for zoology would require not 

 only a thorough overhauling and renovation of the old exhibits but 

 also the replacing of large numbers of the specimens with new and 

 fresh material and such extensive additions as will completely change 

 the complexion of the collections and greatly improve their character 

 and effectiveness. The revision contemplates systematic and faunal 

 arrangements, a synoptic series, several special exhibits illustrative 

 of biological subjects, such as anatomy, embryology, color variation, 

 etc., and a collection for young people, carrying out and enlarging 



