REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1912, 55 



The American mammals, consisting principally of North American 

 representatives, have been assigned the large skylighted hall, the 

 African mammals the outer end of the wing, and the Australian and 

 oriental mammals the south hall, while the palearctic fauna will 

 share the north hall with the birds. Pending their arrangement a 

 few large mammals mounted separately on pedestals have been 

 exhibited in the rotunda. 



In the south and outer halls of the second story of the west wing, 

 wliich still remain closed, the installation of the marine invertebrates, 

 and of the reptiles and fishes, respectively, were in progress. The 

 reptile casts brought from the older building had been placed in 

 cases, but the addition of a number of alcoholic specimens had yet 

 to be made. The extensive series of casts of fishes begun many 

 years ago, which will also continue to be used, were being renovated 

 and repainted preparatory to their installation in large wall cases 

 in a much more effective manner than before. As the older exhibit 

 of marine invertebrates contained little that could well be utilized, 

 a practicall}^ new collection is being organized, and it will be pre- 

 sented in a manner not hitherto attempted here except experimentally. 

 Kectangular jars with polished fronts will be employed for the alco- 

 holic specimens, and such as require to be fastened will be attached 

 to glass plates. 



In the remaining parts of the second floor, to which the public had 

 been given access, the disposition of the collections was about as 

 follows : The north hall of the west wing was devoted to the subjects 

 of anatomy and the development of the various classes of animals, 

 illustrated by models and by the extensive series of skeletons. The 

 western section of the west range contained the systematic series of 

 animals, which is as yet in only a formative stage and will be added 

 to as material can be selected or obtained and prepared. In the 

 northern section of this range are the exhibit of domestic animals and 

 the faunal exhibit for the District of Columbia, while in several 

 alcoves the special subjects of albinism, melanism, and hybridism are 

 represented. 



depart:ment of geology. 



Accessions. — The total number of specimens received by the de- 

 partment was 138,521, distributed among the divisions and sections 

 as follows: Systematic and applied geology, 1,927; mineralogy and 

 petrolog}^, 1,436; invertebrate paleontology, 134,681, including about 

 75,000 specimens deposited by Mr. Frank Springer; vertebrate 

 paleontology, 299; and paleobotany, 178. The more important 

 accessions were as follows : 



The division of geology obtained from the Lowell Lumber & As- 

 bestos Co., Lowell, Vt., as a gift, a block of serpentine, some 2 by 4 



