REPORT OP ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 11 



C— THE CONDITIOiS^ OF THE (30LLECTIONS. 



7. INCREASE IN THE COLLECTIONS. 



In the report for 1884 tbe number of specimens in the several depart- 

 ments of the Museum was estimated at a little less than one and a half 

 millions. This provisional census of the collections has not been re- 

 vised for the present report, but it is safe to assume that, from all 

 sources, including the increase from the New Orleans Exposition, the 

 total has been increased by at least ten thousand. 



8. ASSIGNMENT OF SPACE. 



Early in the year, the north-east court was cleared of packing-boxes, 

 &c., for the exhibition of specimens belonging to the Department of 

 Ethnology. The north side of the west hall was assigned to the exhibit 

 of modern pottery and terra-cotta. It having been found that the 

 modelers were not furnished with working space adequate to their 

 needs, rooms were constructed and fitted up for their use in April. For 

 the speedy prosecution of the work of preparing the collection of build- 

 ing-stones for the American Museum of Natural History, a temporary 

 wooden building was put up west of the poisoning-shed for the use of 

 the stone-cutters. In June the northwest gallery of the Smithsonian 

 building was fitted with casing and shelving for the collections of ma- 

 rine invertebrates, which were transferred thither from the west hall. 



The laboratory and ofi&ces of the curator of Metallurgy were early in 

 the year moved from the first floor of the south-west pavilion to the sec- 

 ond floor, and the offices of the curator of Mammals have been trans- 

 ferred from the south tower to the first floor of the south-west pavilion. 

 A portion of the west hall has been devoted to the textile exhibit. One- 

 half of the south-west court has been assigned to the Mineral Depart- 

 ment, and cases for the reception of the specimens arranged. 



Owing to the crowded condition of the exhibition halls in the Museum 

 building, it is impossible to assign exhibition space for the collections 

 of birds, birds' eggs, reptiles, fishes, mollusks, or marine invertebrates. 

 The collections of birds and fishes are at present inadequately provided 

 for in the Smithsonian building. There is no suitable space for the 

 exhibits, which are being collected by the curator of Steam Transpor- 

 tation, and the collections of animal products and foods are very insuf- 

 ficiently housed. It is to be earnestly hoped that Congress will give 

 serious consideration to the pressing necessity for more room, and make 

 provision for the erection of another Museum building. 



