REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1918. 47 



mens, collected chiefly in Amboina, Borneo, and the Philippines, 

 while a third one, consisting of 878 specimens from Panama, was 

 donated by Mr. Ellsworth P. Killip, of Rochester, New York, and a 

 fourth, embracing 556 specimens from Alaska and California, was 

 a gift from Prof. W. L. Jepson, of the University of California. 



The work connected with the care and natural increase of the 

 herbarium has progressed satisfactorily during the year, the number 

 of specimens mounted approximating 20,000, with about 8,000 to 

 10,000 specimens still unmounted though in part covered by con- 

 tracts already made. Besides having been permanently recorded 

 most of the specimens mounted were distributed into the herbarium. 

 The injured material, chiefly from the Biltmore herbarium, has now 

 been repaired and will shortly be incorporated. Systematic fumiga- 

 tion with carbon bisulphide resulted in keeping the collections free 

 from attacks by insects during the year. Mr. P. C. Standley, the 

 assistant curator, continued the segregation of type material, no less 

 than 8,389 specimens having been removed, catalogued, provided with 

 distinctive covers and arranged in systematic sequence. This segre- 

 gation of the types has undoubtedly been beneficial, as their examina- 

 tion, when actually necessary, is made much more easily so that the 

 specimens are not subject to the breakage inseparable from indis- 

 criminate handling in the general herbarium. Considerable progress 

 was made in the improvement of the cryptogamic collection by the 

 special employment of Miss Mary F. Miller, who redistributed and 

 rearranged the lichen collections, including the accumulations of 

 many years, so that the cryptogams are noAv in good order. 



The question of additional room for cases in the general herbarium 

 remains acute, though the condition was somewhat relieved by the 

 distribution during the year of an unusually large number of dupli- 

 cates — some 20,921 specimens. In addition to a large number of 

 miscellaneous duplicates, these consisted chiefly of the Canary Island 

 plants presented by Mrs. Alice Carter Cook several years ago, dupli- 

 cates of the Smithsonian African Expedition collections and from 

 the Panama collections of Mr. H. Pittier. They proved a valuable 

 asset to the herbarium in securing an equivalent number of speci- 

 mens from the several institutions to which they were distributed. 

 The so-called District Herbarium, consisting of specimens collected 

 in the vicinity of Washington City, was increased during the year 

 by the collection of specimens in critical groups and the herbarium 

 as a whole was rearranged b}^ Dr. Philip Dowell, the specimens being 

 placed in new covers throughout, distinctively printed and labeled. 

 This collection is the actual basis of a new " Flora of the District 

 of Columbia and vicinity," the manuscript of which was completed 

 during the year. The cataloguing of the specimens mounted during 

 the year was accomplished through the temporary appointment of a 



