HEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1925 33 



Worch collection now comprises sufficient material to adequately 

 illustrate the history of the piano. 



Outstanding in the additions to the section of ceramics was a gift 

 by Mrs. Frances Eoome Powers of a well-identified lot of English 

 porcelain and glass, and the loan by Commander George E. Brandt, 

 United States Navy, of a fine Chinese porcelain vase, with fungus 

 decoration, of the Yung Cheng dynasty. 



In the section of art textiles the excellent lace collection of the 

 late Mrs. H. K. Porter was continued as a loan by her daughter. 

 Miss Hegeman. By the bequest of the late Miss Emily Tuckerman, 

 all her specimens, previously on loan, were made a gift. From the 

 Misses Long were received as a loan one piece of Duchesse Guipure 

 lace, three pieces of embroidery, and five pieces of tatting. 



EXPLOKATIONS AND EXPEDITIONS 



Explorations that have had special importance in adding to the 

 collections of the department were those of the National Geographic 

 Society at Pueblo Bonito, N. Mex., under the charge of Neil M. 

 Judd, from which has come much valuable material. The expedi- 

 tion to central China under the leadership of F. E,. Wulsin has also 

 added many specimens of value. The Marsh-Darien expedition to 

 Panama, on which John L. Baer lost his life, furnished important 

 collections of outstanding interest. Expeditions of the Bureau of 

 American Ethnology to Muscle Shoals, Ala., directed by Gerard 

 Fowke, and to St. Petersburg, Fla., personally conducted by Dr. J. 

 Walter Fewkes assisted by M. W. Stirling, have been of great im- 

 portance. Dr. Ales PIrdlicka, curator of physical anthropology, is 

 engaged on a several months trip to the Far East and Australia, 

 financed in part by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. The ob- 

 ject of Doctor Hrdlicka's trip is to observe first hand a number of 

 races of men and to collect data on the sites of discoveries of ancient 

 man. 



WORK or PRESERVING AND INSTALLING THE COLLECTIONS — PRESENT 

 CONDITION OF COLLECTIONS 



The customary routine work in cleaning, repairing, and preserv- 

 ing specimens was much accelerated in the division of ethnology. 

 A recently devised method of permanently remoAdng rust from 

 iron was applied to two suits of medieval armor. Dust-proof 

 storage cases were provided for certain things. A number of old 

 and valuable oil paintings of Indians were repaired and restored. 

 Labeling progressed to such an extent that all individual specimens 

 on exhibit are now labeled. The Erskine collection of Dyak art was 

 placed on exhibition and a case of Papuan art and a fine case illus- 



