REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1918. 49 



Weatherby, East Hartford, Connecticut. Owing to war conditions 

 a much smaller amount of material — 3,582 specimens in 41 lots — was 

 sent out for study than in many previous years., but that lent was 

 desired chiefly for monographic study which will greatly enhance its 

 value. The following lots deserve special notice: 813 specimens of 

 Cuscuta sent to the University of Illinois, for monographic study by 

 Mr. T. G. Yuncker; 1,711 specimens of Carex lent to Mr. K. K. 

 Mackenzie, East Orange, New Jersey, in connection with his mono- 

 graph upon the North American species of this difficult genus; and 

 367 specimens of Isoetes sent to the Missouri Botanical Garden, for 

 use by Dr. Norma E. Pfeiffer, who is monographing the North 

 American species of the genus. During the year 16 persons con- 

 nected with the Department of Agriculture borrowed from the Na- 

 tional Herbarium 62 lots of plants containing 1,624 specimens. 



Work of preparators. — The activity of the taxidermists, osteolo- 

 gists, and modelers has been mainly determined by the decision to 

 limit for the present the exhibition work to the renewal of old 

 exhibits, to the filling out of gaps as opportunity offered, to the ex- 

 tension of the general policy of doing away with the old walnut 

 bases for the larger animals, and to keeping the exhibits in necessary 

 repair. The cleaning of skeletons and skulls went forward as usual. 

 Mr. N. L. Brown mounted for the exhibition series four large mam- 

 mals, as follows : a gray wolf ; a wombat from Australia ; a babirussa, 

 the peculiar wild boar of Celebes ; and a Himalayan black bear. An 

 American tapir, badly needed for the tropical American exhibit, and 

 an Asiatic leopard to replace a very bad specimen, are well in hand. 

 A number of medium sized and small mammals, chiefly monkeys and 

 bats, greatly needed for the same series, were mounted by Mr. George 

 Marshall, who also dismounted or remodeled a large number of older 

 specimens, attended to a great proportion of the material received 

 from the National Zoological Park, and was in charge of the taxi- 

 dermy work of the mammalian study series. The bird taxidermist, 

 Mr. Nelson R. Wood, though absent from the Museum during part 

 of the year, ramounted and remodeled 55 of the old specimens on 

 exhibition and dismounted 282 others which were made into study 

 skins, as well as making 13 skins from fresh specimens. The osteolo- 

 gist, Mr. J. W. Scollick, cleaned 106 bird skeletons, the skeleton of 

 one and the skulls of nine sea cows, a number of smaller mammal 

 skeletons and skulls, made 7 turtle skins, and cleaned a number of 

 turtle skulls and shells, as well as miscellaneous skins and bones. 

 Under his supervision 66 mammal skeletons and 1,287 mammal skulls, 

 four sets of leg bones and 2 antlers were cleaned. Mr. C. E. Mirguet, 

 preparator, finished the cleaning and mounting of the gray whale 

 and hung it in the whale hall, also the skeleton of the young sperm 



91933° — nat mus 1918 4 



