Director's Annual Report. 5 



Our binding is so expensive that it may prove good economy 

 to do our own binding. During the year we had bound 72 vol- 

 umes of many sizes, but mostly bound in durable buckram; 213 

 volumes are ready for binding but are awaiting information as to 

 cost at the large libraries and museums. The large libraries gen- 

 erally and the museums frequently have their own binderies, but 

 our information is not complete enough to make a report at present. 

 As will be seen our exchanges come in parts, and to be preserved 

 and used must be bound. 



During his absence the Director, under authorization of the 

 Trustees, made arrangements not only for some additional ex- 

 changes, but also for completing our sets of desirable publications. 

 Many of the old societies recognize the importance of a reference 

 library for the use of scientists and explorers passing through our 

 port, and are endeavoring to complete our sets as old and rare 

 parts may be found. I have often been asked how our own 

 publications can best be bound for use, and I have advised 

 libraries to bind each of the quarto memoirs separately for con- 

 venience in handling — a course followed by many museums that 

 exchange with us, and we shall endeavor to make this course 

 more practicable by furnishing an index to each complete part 

 (as we have already done in several cases), as well as to the 

 entire volume. 



The modeler, Mr. J. \V. Thompson, has made many casts of 

 fish during the year and also many casts of rare specimens bor- 

 rowed for the purpose. I found no work during my journey so 

 artistic as his. In almost every case where casting is used it was 

 quite unnecessary to put "cast" on the label. 



During the Director's absence Mr. J. V . < « . Stokes was Acting 



Director: as Curator of Polynesian Ethnology he reports that while 



there were no large collections added to the Museum either by gift 



or purchase, there were still considerable accessions, among the 



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