138 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEMM, 1885. 



tion. The nature of the mineral is then determined, and its name, 

 locality and donor or collector, with its number of accession and date 

 of entry, are entered on the department register, after which it is as- 

 signed a place either in the reserve or duplicate series, according to its 

 value or the scarcity of such material in the collection, such assign- 

 ment being duly entered on the record, opposite the original entry of 

 the specimen. If it is worthless, it is so recorded, and deposited for six 

 months in a receptacle for that purpose. The specimens which receive 

 a place in the collection are carefully cleaned and trimmed so as to show 

 them off to the best advantage. Their catalogue numbers are then 

 permanently attached to them, and a label is written for each specimen, 

 giving the names of the minerals upon the specimen, their locality and 

 the name of the donor or collector. Specimens designed for exhibition 

 are suitably mounted on wooden blocks and given a place in the exhibi- 

 tion series, a printed label, with more complete information, taking the 

 place of the written one. The specimens for the study and duplicate 

 series, with their labels, are placed in paper trays, and those for the 

 former are deposited in drawers in the exhibition hall, while those for 

 the latter are stored for future use in the cases, arranged along the 

 walls of the department laboratory. At present we are engaged in a 

 careful selection and classification of the exhibition and reserve series. 

 The system of classification, as was stated in our report for 1884, is 

 essentially that devised by Prof. James D. Dana. Large wall cases 

 have been designed to accommodate specimens too large and heavy to 

 be included in our systematic series. Other routine work consists in 

 the selection and shipment of sets of minerals from our series of dupli- 

 cates, and such correspondence as is necessary in connection with the 

 department work. 



There are in the Museum at this time, as nearly as can be estimated, 

 about 15,580 specimens. On account of the work of classification which 

 is at present going on, it is not practicable to give, as yet, the number 

 of specimens belonging to any one series. The last entry in the depart- 

 ment register during 1884 was 45,217, and the last entry made, during 

 the six months ending June 30, 1885, was 45,843, making a total of 626 

 entries. A single entry may represent many specimens. 



