REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 45 
idea to be formed as to the proper stratigraphic horizons for many 
series of fossils whose previous position had been unsatisfactorily 
known. 
Under an allotment from the Marsh fund of the National Academy 
of Sciences, Mr. Charles W. Gilmore visited the Grand Canyon in 
Arizona and in cooperation with the National Park Service con- 
tinued work on beds containing fossil footprints. As an outcome 
of this season’s investigation there are now known three distinct 
series of these tracks that serve to indicate the animal life of the 
Permian world. ‘The beds in which the tracks are found are espe- 
cially notable for the graphic picture that they give, through their 
exposure in the canyon walls, of the enormous reach of time during 
which vertebrated animals have had their evolution. 
Dr. James W. Gidley, under the auspices of the Bureau of Ameri- 
can Ethnology, continued work in the vicinity of Melbourne, Fla., 
in investigating evidence as to early man in Florida and in study of 
the Pleistocene deposits in that region. In October, 1925, Doctor 
Gidley was detailed to examine a spring deposit in southwestern 
Oklahoma, where he secured a number of specimens of ethnological 
and geological umportance. 
BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 
Minor repairs to the various buildings housing the Museum have 
kept them in good condition during the year. 
It was necessary to replace a space of worn-out concrete roadway, 
slightly more than 87 feet in length, leading from B Street to the 
east entrance to permit the entry of trucks with coal and other 
supplies. Other repair work on the Natural History Building con- 
sisted of the usual painting required on window frames, repairs to 
the concrete water table, and pointing of joints in the stone steps at 
the south entrance. 
In the Arts and Industries Building the wooden floor on the south 
end of the gallery of the south hall was replaced by terrazzo, a great 
improvement that lessens fire risk. Much paint and repair work 
was required for the exterior of the building. In the Smith- 
sonian Building the public portion of the disbursing office was 
remodeled to give greater security during the handling of funds 
on pay days. 
Minor repairs were required in the Freer Gallery and the aircraft 
building. 
In the heating plant the consumption of coal amounted to 3,465 
tons, the excess over last year being due to the longer period of 
continuance of cold weather. Considerable repairs were made to the 
plant and more will be required annually since it has now been in 
