102 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1904. 



Iii the division of paleobotany the work of preparing the card cata- 

 logue of the Lacoe collection of fossil plants is progressing slowly. 



The regular work of the Museum has been greatly interrupted dur- 

 ing this period by preparation for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. 

 The Curator of the Department was absent from Washington in con- 

 nection with this work some ninety-one days of the year. During this 

 time he made — 



(1) A trip to the Pacific coast and back, going via Ishpeming, Michi- 

 gan, and the Northern Pacific to Portland, Oregon, and returning by 

 way of San Francisco; Ogden, and Salt Lake, Utah; Pocatello, Idaho; 

 through Wyoming to Laramie, Denver, and the Black Hills of Dakota. 

 (2) A trip into western Mexico in the vicinity of Bacubirito, State of 

 Sinaloa, and (3) finally, a trip into the apatite, mica, and asbestos 

 regions of Canada. 



The purpose of the Mexican trip was to secure for the Louisiana 

 Purchase Exposition a cast of the celebrated Bacubirito meteorite, the 

 second largest known mass of meteoric iron in the world. 



Mr. Wirt Tassin, of the division of mineralogy, made a trip into an 

 interesting zeolite locality near Newark, New Jersey, and obtained 

 much valuable material. 



Mr. William C. Phalen made two trips into Virginia for the purpose 

 of making collections and studying the unakite near Milams Gap, 

 Virginia. 



Mr. Schuchert was granted four months' leave of absence in Europe, 

 where considerable time was devoted to collecting Ordovician, Silurian, 

 Devonian, and Carboniferous fossils. 



Messrs. W. H. Newhall, Charles Schuchert, Wirt Tassin, and the 

 Head Curator were in St. Louis for periods varying from one to three 

 weeks, engaged in the work of installing the exhibits of the Depart- 

 ment. Dr. A. C. Peale was also on leave for a period of more than 

 two months. 



ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS. 



There have been sent out by the Department during the period cov- 

 ered by this report, in the way of gifts and exchanges, some 04 lots, 

 comprising 7,138 specimens. 



In addition, material for study has been loaned to the individuals 

 and institutions mentioned below: 



Mr. John M. Clarke, of the New York State Museum; Prof. W. B. 

 Clark, of Johns Hopkins University; Mr. S. F. Emmons, of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey; Dr. A. Handlirsch, of the K. K. Naturhistorische 

 Ilofmuseum, Vienna; Prof. C. H. Hitchcock, of Dartmouth College, 

 Hanover, New Hampshire; Prof. Edwin G. Kirk, of Columbia Uni- 

 versity, New York City; Dr. George F. Kunz, New York Cit}^; the 

 American Museum of Natural History; Mr. P. E. Raymond, New 



