90 REPOKT OP NATIONAL, MUSEUM, 1925 



Distributions. — Shipments comprising 739 specimens were trans- 

 mitted to outside investigators during the year. The benefit de- 

 rived from this is mutual since in many cases the material is 

 unstudied and its value to the Museum greatly increased by the work 

 of specialists. This is particularly true of the paleontological ma- 

 terial. As exchanges, 6,009 specimens were distributed, while gifts, 

 chiefly to educational institutions, comprised 548 specimens. This 

 last is less than usual, owing to the fact that the so-called " school 

 sets," prepared from time to time in lots of 100 or more, were ex- 

 hausted more than a year ago. The preparation of new sets is going 

 forward as rapidly as possible as materials become available. The 

 assembling of material for those illustrating rock weathering and 

 the formation of soils is well advanced as is also that for the rock 

 collections. On those of minerals and ores, little progress has been 

 made as our duplicates have been well-nigh exhausted and no funds 

 are available for collecting. 



Total nurriber of specimens in the department. — During the year 

 an estimated total of 79,674 specimens were added to the collection. 

 Adding this to the total given for last year, we have 1,799,797 speci- 

 mens in the department. 



