88 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1924 



account of the flora of the Animas formation is now in the hands 

 of the printer. Prof. E. W. Berry, of Johns Hopkins University, 

 has studied the paleobotanical collections, particularly from South 

 America; Prof. R. W. Chaney is working on certain Tertiary floras 

 from the west coast; F. B. Frost continued his researches on the 

 Upper Paleozoic plants; and Dr. Arthur Hollick spent the last six 

 months of the year at the Museum completing his monograph on the 

 Cretaceous flora of Alaska, comprising about 250 species. Doctor 

 Hollick's Tertiary flora of Alaska, embracing 300 species and more 

 than 75 quarto plates, is now nearly completed. Dr. G. R. Wieland 

 has continued work on the cyads ; Prof. A. C. Seward has prepared 

 an elaborate paper on our splendid specimens of Tempskya from 

 Wyoming; and Prof. I. W. Bailey, of Cambridge, Mass., has com- 

 pleted a lengthy paper on a new dicotyledonous wood from the Cre- 

 taceous of Arizona. 



Dr. A. F. Foerste and Dr. Rudolf Ruedemann are continuing their 

 studies of the invertebrate collections, and various paleontologists 

 of the United States Geological Survey have, as in past years, been 

 actively working on the Cretaceous and Tertiary forms. The meet- 

 ing of the Geological Society of America and the Paleontological 

 Society at Washington in December afforded an opportunity to a 

 number of visiting members to study our collections and methods 

 of installation. 



As in previous years, no small amount of research has been neces- 

 sary in order to furnish information on subjects pertaining to 

 geology and to report on materials'. Within the year 469 letters 

 have passed through the head curator's office and 399 lots of mate- 

 rial were received for examination and report. 



Distributions. — Shipments comprising 2,742 specimens and 24 

 pounds of material in bulk were sent out as loans for scientific 

 research, exhibition, or other purposes'. Among the beneficiaries 

 were the American Museum of Natural History, American Chemical 

 Society, the Bureau of Soils, Bureau of Standards, Geophysical 

 Laboratory, University of California, Johns Hopkins University, 

 and various individuals. As exchanges, 4,543 specimens and 92 

 pounds' of material in bulk were distributed, and as gifts, chiefly 

 to educational institutions, 2,123 specimens of selected material, 19 

 of the so-called " school sets " comprising 1,615 specimens, and 10 

 of the rockweathering and soils series, comprising 210 specimens. 

 It is to be regretted that these sets, prepared some years ago, are 

 now exhausted and the demand for them can not be met until 

 funds are available for collecting the necessary materials. 



Total number of specimens in the department. — Adding the re- 

 ceipts of the present year to the estimated total given last year, we 

 have now a total of 1,720,123 specimens in the department. 



