16 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1919. 
movements; a collection of German military paraphernalia captured 
by American troops during various engagements; collections of the 
equipment of the various branches of the American Army; and an 
almost complete series of uniforms, insignia, decorations, and medals 
of the Army and Navy, as well as a collection of relics of Lieut. Ben- 
jamin Stuart Walcott, United States Army, who entered the French 
air service as a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps, and who was 
killed in aerial combat on December 12, 1917. 
Another interesting addition consists of a large series of costumes 
and accessories worn by the late Richard Mansfield in his extensive 
repertoire of historic characters, presented by Mrs. Mansfield. 
The chief addition in the Department of Biology was a collection 
of Antillean land mollusks, aggregating 400,000 specimens, donated 
by Mr. John B. Henderson, a regent of the Smithsonian Institution. 
The final installment of Dr. Abbott’s Celebes collections was re- 
ceived likewise. The collections in the National Herbarium were 
enriched by a donation of 12,000 plants from Mexico, 9,600 from the 
Philippines, and many from the South American countries. 
The Division of Textiles received for exhibition purposes from 
the office of the Surgeon General of the United States Army a col- 
lection consisting of apparatus, hospital appliances, and field equip- 
ment used by the Medical, Dental, and Sanitary Corps in the war. 
This included examples of all kinds of equipment of a thousand-bed 
hespital overseas. ‘The food exhibits were continued and an arrange- 
ment was made with the States Relations Service of the Department 
of Agriculture, whereby regular demonstrations of the value, use, 
preparation, and conservation of foods were given. Over 2,100 per- 
sons attended the lectures and various demonstrations. 
Work on the Freer Building progressed satisfactorily, and it is ex- 
pected that the structure will be completed early in 1920. The Na- 
tional Gallery of Art acquired from Mr. Ralph Cross Johnson a rare 
gift of 24 paintings, which comprises selections from the work of 
19 of Europe’s foremos§ masters. 
The most pressing neéds of the Museum are a separate building 
for the National Gallery of Art, which has long since outgrown its 
present temporary quarters, and also one for American history. It 
is likewise imperative to increase the scientific and technical staff 
in order that the Institution may keep pace with the rapid develop- 
ment of the country. 
The total distribution of Museum publications during the year 
aggregated 118,332 copies. Over 4,000 volumes, pamphlets, and 
unbound papers were added to the library, which now contains 
54,685 volumes and 87,109 pamphlets and unbound papers. 
