20 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1915. 



THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The report of the Assistant Secretary in charge of the National 

 Museum, hereto appended, indicates most gratifying progress in all 

 lines of Museum activities. To the collections there have been many 

 large and most valuable additions, and installation of exhibits, par- 

 ticularly in the new or natural history building, has been greatly ad- 

 vanced and improved. 



More than 300,000 specimens were accessioned during the year, 

 over two-thirds of which pertained to paleontology and zoology, 

 one-sixth to botany, and the remainder to anthropology, geology, 

 mineralogy, textiles, and to other divisions of the Museum. 



The ethnological exhibits were enriched by a large series of old 

 Japanese art assembled some 30 years ago by the late J. Crawford 

 Lyon; Baskets, musical instruments, and other objects from Dutch 

 Borneo, presented by Dr. W. L. Abbott; also many interesting ar- 

 ticles pertaining to the American Indians. In American archeology 

 the principal accession was a series of implements and other objects 

 of stone, metal, and terra cotta from various parts of the United 

 States and Mexico, secured through cooperation with the management 

 of the San Diego Exposition. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell added 

 very greatly to the electrical exhibits by his gift of 280 pieces of 

 experimental phonographic apparatus and several relics relating to 

 the early history of the telephone. 



Special mention should also be made of the gift of Mr. Hugo 

 Worch of a large number of pianofortes, illustrating the progress 

 and development of piano making from about 1770 to 1850. The 

 earliest of European pianos in the series dates from about 1770 and 

 of American pianos about 1790. Many interesting accessions per- 

 taining to American history are mentioned by the Assistant Secretary 

 in his report, as also important additions to the zoological, geological, 

 and botanical collections. A most notable contribution of mollusks, 

 consisting of a very large collection of specimens from practically 

 every part of the world, was a gift from Mr. John B. Henderson, a 

 Regent of the Institution. 



As in previous years, much material was received from the United 

 States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Fisheries, the Department 

 of Agriculture, and other Government establishments, these accumu- 

 lations from various field researches having served their purpose in 

 the preparation of reports on scientific investigations. 



The National Gallery of Art has already outgTown the space 

 allotted to the display of paintings. Each year the additions to the 

 permanent collection of paintings, as well as the loan exhibits, causes 

 more and more embarrassment to those in charge of their installa- 



