REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1018. 51 



cases could not be thus accommodated and, like that containing the 

 zebu and the yak, were transferred to the south side of the south 

 hall on the first floor, where the original arrangement of the cases 

 with reference to the windows and the wall spaces between them 

 had to be disturbed and the cases crowded together. Toward the 

 end of the fiscal year it became necessary to give up more space for 

 the same purpose, in consequence of which both the big halls on 

 either side of the great skylight hall on the first floor of the west 

 wing had to be cleared of their exhibits. These, consisting of all 

 the mammals from the oriental region, Asia, Europe, Australia, and 

 a large proportion of the African mammals, as well as the African 

 and Palearctic birds, were all moved into the big skylight hall, which 

 thus became completely filled, and had to be closed to visitors, except 

 a narrow aisle permitting the public to pass from the south entrance 

 of the building to the African mammal hall. This, with the bird 

 exhibit in the west range, on the first floor, the whale hall, skeleton 

 hall, and reptile-fish hall on the second floor, were the only zoological 

 exhibits accessible to the public at the close of the fiscal year. At 

 the beginning of the year the total exhibit of this department occu- 

 pied approximately 68,400 square feet. At the end of the year there 

 was only 26,800 square feet left, slightly more than one-third, about 

 41,600 feet having been given up. 



Under these circumstances it was out of the question to undertake 

 any comprehensive work for the improvement and extension of the 

 series. The only novelties placed on exhibition were a number of 

 smaller mammals, two large whale skeletons (one of the Pacific gray 

 whale, the other a young sperm whale), a couple of large turtles, and 

 some large fish casts. A notable improvement was made in the ap- 

 pearance of some of the large mammal cases by taking the animals 

 off their polished walnut stands, thus making possible a more pleas- 

 ing and economic arrangement and covering the floor with sand 

 artificially colored to match the standard olive color of the bottom 

 of the other cases — a treatment giving universal satisfaction. 



Explorations. — As expected, the war brought practically all field 

 exploration to an end. Only four expeditions with which the 

 Museum is officially connected were in the field during the fiscal year, 

 and only one of them is known to be still active. Nor has any been 

 organized during the year except a botanical expedition which is 

 about to start as the year closes. This expedition was made possible 

 by a cooperative arrangement between the New York Botanical 

 Garden, the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture, and the Na- 

 tional Museum, the hitter's share consisting in allowing Dr. J. N. 

 Rose, associate curator of the division of plants, to take charge of 



