REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 25 



sary to increa.se the number of radiators in some of the halls. Steam 

 was first raised in the boilers on October 10, 1903, and. with sonic 

 interruptions, continued to be maintained until May 3, 1904. 



The tire apparatus was thoroughly overhauled during- the year and 

 its condition greatly improved. Some of the extinguishers of old pat- 

 tern were replaced by others of more recent make and more effective 

 character. 



The amount of labor involved in maintaining the cleanliness of the 

 buildings can scarcely be appreciated except by those who have the 

 matter in charge. Twenty-two exhibition halls, mostly of large size 

 and many containing galleries, and 89 laboratories, office rooms, toilet 

 rooms, etc.. require to be swept and dusted every morning, and, for 

 the most part, before 9 o'clock. In this enumeration is not included 

 the outside buildings. The number of regular laborers and cleaners 

 amounts to only 22, and these same men are also fully occupied 

 throughout the day on other matters. The number of exhibition 

 cases of which the glass has to be kept clean and the woodwork free 

 from dust is over 1,300. 



ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTIONS. 



The National Museum, as the legally constituted depository for the 

 science and art collections of the Government, has as its most constant 

 and important sources of supply the national surveys and explorations, 

 such as are conducted by the Geological Survey, the Bureau of Fish- 

 eries, the Biological Survey and Bureaus of Entomology and Plant In- 

 dustry of the Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. But these are not the only 

 Government branches which conduct explorations. The Departments 

 of War and of the Navy sent out many important expeditions during 

 the early and middle part of the last century, and in connection with the 

 recent acquisition of new territory they have again furnished the oppor- 

 tunity for securing valuable collections. Interesting objects are also 

 sent home from time to time by members of the consular service of 

 the State Department. A large part of the additions to the Museum 

 are, however, received from individuals and private establishments, 

 through donation and exchange, and the exhibition series derives 

 many of its attractive features from loans or deposits. Field collect- 

 ing by members of the Museum staff is almost prohibited by the 

 scarcity of funds, and the acquisition of specimens by purchase is 

 seriously restricted because of the small appropriation for that purpose. 



Appendix II of this report contains a complete list of the accessions 

 for the year, and the more noteworthy are described in the reports of 

 the head curators. 



The number of separate lots of material received during the year 

 was 1,703, as against 1,613 in 1903, aggregating about 241,527 speci- 



