REPORT or ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 33 



(b) Osteological preparator. 



Mr. Frederic A. Lucas reports that during the last six months twelve 

 specimens, mostly of large size, have been received and cared for, nine- 

 teen cleaned, and twenty-nine mounted and placed in the exhibition 

 series. Chief among these last is an almost unique skeleton of the ex- 

 tinct sirenian, Bhytina gigas. The regular work of maceration was be- 

 gun early in the spring, nine jars, thirty-five barrels, and three large 

 tanks being filled with some two hundred specimens. The collection 

 of bird bones has been removed from the Smithsonian to the Museum 

 building, and part of the material, received in exchange from the Army 

 Medical Museum, transferred to the Institution. The rapid growth of 

 the osteological collections necessitates frequent changes in the ar- 

 rangement of both the exhibition and study series, and a continual in- 

 crease of time in caring for the specimens. It is to be regretted that 

 •^the force available in this section is so small, since the work, owing to its 

 peculiar nature, is necessarily slow and subject to frequent interrup- 

 tions. One more trained assistant would relieve the chief osteologist of 

 much of the manual work and leave him time for more important du- 

 ties. The limit of work in cleaning skeletons with the present force 

 has been reached, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep pace with 

 the accessions of material. Mr. Lucas has been assisted by Mr. Scol- 

 lick. 



(c) Modelers. 



Mr. Joseph Palmer states that his principal work has been that of 

 casting from molds which have accumulated from former years, and in 

 repairing fish, reptile, and porpoise casts that had been returned broken 

 from the various expositions to which they had been sent. A fine 

 specimen of the rare sperm-whale porpoise, Kogia breviccps, in the flesh, 

 was received and molded, and also a spotted porpoise, Prodelphinus, 

 the molds of which, together with others, notably a large grampus, bot- 

 tle-nosed porpoise, halibut, spiny shark, &c., have been prepared and 

 oast, and are now ready for painting. 



In making a mold of a snake it was found that usually a globule of 

 air would form at the point of the scales and produce in the cast a 

 similar globule of plaster, the removal of which caused considerable 

 minute work. By experiment this has been remedied by molding the 

 snake in a wet condition, which allows the air to be taken up by the 

 plast'Cr used in making the mold. 



Improvements have also been made in the method of making paper 

 casts of the large fishes, porpoises, «&c., and the work has been gTeatly 

 facilitated thereby. 



Major Powell having vacated the room for several years occupied by 

 his photographers, Mr. Marshall has moved into them, thus giving in- 

 creased space, which has been still further added to by the use of a 

 shed at the rear of the Smithsonian building for casting the larger molds. 

 H. :\Iis. 15, pt, 2 .S 



