26 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1884. 



The names by which these cases are designated will of course be un- 

 intelligible to those who are not familiar with the nomenclature adopted 

 in the Museum. Our system of case construction, which has been briefly 

 discussed in previous reports, is entirely different from that in use in 

 any similar establishment, and is admitted to be unusually economical 

 and effective. We are constantly called upon by the officers of other 

 museums for descriptions and working drawings. I have in prepara- 

 tion, and hope to present in the report for 1885, a full description, with 

 illustrations, of the various methods of installation which have been 

 adopted. 



The main features of the plan are as follows : The cases are, as a rule, 

 of mahogany, finished in the natural color, and have been constructed 

 in accordance with artistic plans furnished by Mr. William Bruce Gray. 

 Their chief recommendations are the following: (1) the building con- 

 sisting practically of a single large hall ; the cases are so constructed 

 that they may placed between any two adjacent pilasters, and thus 

 form partitions dividing this hall into seventeen halls of lesser ex- 

 tent; (2) the cases are all of one length, 8 feet 8 inches,* which is the 

 architectural unit of the Museum building, or are of such lengths that, 

 combined together, they always conform to this unit, so that they are 

 interchangeable j.(3) the construction is such that, with very slight ex- 

 penditure of labor, any one of them full of specimens can be transported 

 from one part of the building to another, thus allowing great freedom 

 in the matter of rearranging the Museum ; (4) all the smaller specimens 

 are mounted in groups upon small tablets or in glass- covered boxes of 

 uniform size, which can be handled with great facility, and which afford 

 great security to the specimens, and diminish immensely the labor of 

 properly caring for them ; (5) the objects are displayed against back- 

 grounds which at the same time afford the greatest ease to the eye of 

 the visitor and the greatest relief and effectiveness to the object dis- 



Unit-table cases (terraced section) 14 



Table-top cases (movable) 20 



Case J. Unit drawers 1,386 



CaseK. Unit boxes 210 



Case L. Wall upright cases, 10 by 10 by 9 1 



Case M. Salvin bird cases 4 



Case O. Basement drawer .storage cases 21 



Case P. Sectional library cases G 



Case S : «■ 



Quarter unit-table cases 20 



Kensington cases .'. 20 



Costume cases 1 



Card catalogue cases 7 



Manuscript cases 2 



Manuscript, drawers 421 



Anatomical cases 1 



Franklin press case 1 



*Ah a matter of fact, the cases are made a little scant in length, to provide for con- 

 venient handling; they actually measure about 8 feet (J inches. 



