28 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1908. 



past year covered many fields, including prehistoric archeology in 

 Arizona and elsewhere, studies on the human skeleton of different 

 races, physiological and medical observations among the Indians of 

 the Southwest, fossil whales, reptiles of Japan, the Philippines, and 

 North America, corals of the Hawaiian Islands, the study of meteor- 

 ites from Canyon Diablo, Arizona, and other localities, besides ex- 

 tensive investigations on fossil invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, and 

 plants. 



The museum has continued in the customary way to advance the 

 interests of teaching by distributing carefully labeled and classified 

 sets of specimens to educational establishments throughout the coun- 

 try. Twelve thousand specimens were thus distributed during the 

 year. 



In conjunction with the Institution the museum participated in the 

 expositions at Jamestown and Bordeaux and much of the material 

 prepared for these occasions has since been incorporated in the 

 museum collections. 



On the new building for the National Museum fair progress was 

 made during the year and at its close the walls had been entirely com- 

 pleted and the construction of the roof was well under way. The 

 fitting up of the interior, however, involves a very large amount of 

 work, since it includes the covering with suitable materials of some 

 10 acres of floor space. 



An interesting loan collection of over 650 specimens of laces, em- 

 broideries, old and rare jDieces of porcelain, enamels, jewelry, and 

 other artistic objects has been temporarily installed in the hall occu- 

 pied by the gallery of art. These objects were gathered and arranged 

 by an informal committee of ladies, with Mrs. James W. Pinchot as 

 chairman. It is hoj)ed that this exhibit may be the nucleus of a per- 

 manent collection of objects of this class. 



NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART. 



The paintings forming the nucleus of the National Gallery of Art 

 have been exhibited during the past year not under the most favor 

 able circumstances, owing to the Congress not having provided an 

 appropriation for furnishing suitable quarters. Nevertheless, some 

 important donations of pictures were received. Mr. William T. 

 Evans made a number of additions to his collection of contemporary 

 American artists, a deposit of thirteen historical marine paintings by 

 the late Edward Moran was made, and several gifts of single paint- 

 ings were accepted. By act of Congress approved May 22, 1908, the 

 colossal marble statue of Washington by Horatio Greenough, which 

 since 1875 has occupied its well-known position in front of the Capi- 

 tol, was transferred to the custody of the Smithsonian Institution. 



