REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY 

 FOR THE YEAR 1903-04. 



By George P. Merrill, 

 Head Curator. 



The year 1903-04 compares favorably with those immediately pre- 

 ceding it in both the number and value of accessions. Indeed, when 

 that acquired for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition is taken into 

 consideration, the value of exhibition material received exceeds that of 

 either of the two previous years. As, however, much of this has not 

 yet been installed in the Museum collections, its full value can not be 

 made apparent. 



ACCESSIONS. 



The total number of accessions received by the Department is shown 

 in tabular form below, those of 1902-03 being also given for purposes 

 of comparison: 



Divisions and sections. 



Geology 



Mineralogy 



Invertebrate paleontology. 

 Vertebrate paleontology.. . 

 Paleobotany 



1903-04. 



377 

 143 

 106 

 45 

 19 



371 

 110 

 86 

 ■12 

 15 



Below is a list of the more important of the materials received: 



DIVISION OF GEOLOGY. 



1. A series of 102 specimens of platiniferous rocks from the Demi- 

 dotf Mines, Russia; gift of M. Juarez Sponville. 



2. A magnificent mass of amethystine quartz, weighing some 4<><> 

 pounds, from the extraordinary geode discovered a few years since in 

 Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and described b} r Dr. G. F. Kunz in the 

 Mineral Resources for 1901. 



3. A series comprising 78 specimens of rocks, illustrating the occur- 

 rence and association of the diamond at the De Beers Consolidated 

 Mines, Kimberley, South Africa. These came to the Museum as a 

 gift from Mr. Gardner F. Williams, the manager of the mines, and 

 the author of the work The Diamond Mines of South Africa. 



nat mus 1904 7 97 



