REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39 



The division of teclinology was greatly enriclied by the transfer from the 

 Patent Office of many models and original examples of inventions interesting 

 historically. The subject of firearms is most fully represented in the collec- 

 tion, which, however, also includes printing presses, sewing machines, type- 

 writers, electrical inventions, steam machinery, time bank locks, looms, spinning 

 and knitting machinery, etc. Another notable accession to this division con- 

 sisted of about 150 pieces of apparatus devised and used by Dr. Alexander 

 Graham Bell iu his earliest telephone experiments. To the War Department, 

 and also personally to Col. A. H. Russell, U. S. Army, the museum is indebted 

 for several interesting examples of firearms. 



The collection in the division of history was increased by many valuable loans 

 and gifts. By far the most noteworthy object among the loans was the fiag 

 which floated over Fort McHenry during its bombardment by the British fleet 

 on the night of September 13-14, 1814, and made famous as the " Star Spangled 

 Banner " by the verses of Francis Scott Key, an eyewitness of the fight. This 

 flag, retained by Col. George Armistead, the commander of the fort, descended 

 to his nephew, Mr. Eben Appleton, of New York, who has most generously 

 allowed it to be exhibited to the public. It is much tattered and worn, and 

 measures 32 feet 10 inches long by 27 feet 6 inches wide. A collection of 175 

 pieces of Lowestoft china and cut glass, used at Mount Vernon in the time of 

 Washington, was deposited by Miss Nannie R. Heth. Among the bequests may 

 be mentioned a gold-mounted sword and a silver pitcher presented to J. Bank- 

 head Magruder by citizens of Virginia and Maryland, and a gold ring given 

 by Richard Somers to Stephen Decatur just before the heroic death of the 

 former on the Intrepid in the war with Tripoli in 1804. The collections of the 

 Colonial Dames of America and of the Daughters of the American Revolution 

 were both increased by the addition of a number of interesting objects. 



Miss E. R. Scidmore deposited 92 pieces of porcelains and some bronze, jade, 

 and lacquer objects. Fifteen musical instruments were presented, mostly of 

 primitive origin, though some are of historical interest. The principal addi- 

 tions in graphic arts were contained among the models from the Patent Office, 

 consisting mainly of early devices now of extreme interest in illustrating the 

 history of photography. 



The department of biology received, as in former years, important contribu- 

 tions, chiefly of mammals and birds, from Dr. W. L. Abbott and Dr. E. A. 

 Mearns, U. S. Armj% the former making collections in Sumatra and south- 

 western Borneo, the latter in the Philippine Islands. Especially interesting 

 for the purposes of comparison as well as for exhibition, was a series of 166 

 antlers and 26 scalps of the American elk, some of unusual size, from the 

 State of Wyoming. 



In most of the other zoological groups the additions were extensive and 

 representative of many parts of the world. Mr. Robert Ridgway, who spent 

 about four months in Costa Rica collecting material and information for use 

 in connection with his monograph on the birds of North and Middle America, 

 brought back a large number of specimens. The Bureau of Fisheries made 

 important transfers of both fishes and marine invertebrates, largely obtained 

 during the explorations of the steamer Albatross in the Pacific Ocean. The 

 collection of insects was increased by about 53,000 specimens, mostly American, 

 although valuable contributions were also received from Europe. 



Through recent acquisitions, the division of mollusks now possesses authen- 

 tically named specimens of 1,330 species of the land shells of the Philippine 

 Islands, of which about 1,500 species have been described. The transfer to 

 Washington from the museum of Yale University of the main part of the col- 



