66 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1884. 



About 1,000 specimens are on exhibition at New Orleans, of which 

 nearly one : third are cut and polished stones. A part of this collection 

 was exhibited at Cincinnati, where it was awarded a silver medal. 

 In connection with the New Orleans work, two importaut collecting 

 trips were made by Mr. Yeates to northern New York, and the Hot 

 Springs of Arkansas. The total number of specimens in the collection 

 is estimated at 15,288. The curator, while in the field in connection 

 with the United States Geological Survey, did excellent work for the 

 Museum. Many good things were also obtained through exchange. 



(b) Department of Lithology and Physical Geology. 



The accessions to this department, which is under the curatorship of 

 Mr. George P. Merrill, have been very numerous. The total number of 

 entries amounts to 2,541, including not less than 300 specimens adminis- 

 stered upon during the year. Important contributions have been re- 

 ceived from 107 sources, besides many others of minor value. The most 

 prominent donations to the department were a series of rocks and 

 tufas from Utah, Nevada, and California, collected by Mr. I. C. Russell 

 and transferred by the Geological Survey, and a large collection of 

 building-stones from Mr. John S. F. Batchen j Messrs. Wharton, Hough- 

 ton, Bartlett, and Marshall, Messrs. Abbott and Stearns, Lieut. G. N. 

 Stoney, Mr. J. S. Diller, Dr. T. M. Chatard, the Esperanza Marble Com- 

 pany, Mr. L. J. Griffin, Mr. A. C. Proctor, Bowker, Torrey & Company, 

 Messrs. Dimond & Hall, and Prof. Thomas Eobinson, also made valu- 

 able contributions. Mr. Merrill prepared a large and important series 

 of specimens of the building and ornamental stones of the United 

 States for the New Orleans Exposition, comprising 358 specimens, an 

 educational series of rocks, containing 500 specimens, and a collection 

 of rock -forming minerals. In this work he had the efficient assistance 

 of Mr. L. H. Merrill, and the services of* a number of stone-cutters for 

 some months. In addition to this work, 1,557 descriptive labels were 

 printed and 200 thin sections of rocks prepared. 



The exhibition series of the lithological collections comprises about 

 800 specimens, and this number can easily be doubled as soon as cases 

 are provided. Some of the beautiful colored photographic enlarge- 

 ments on glass, illustrating the structure of twelve selected types of 

 rocks, were among the most striking products of the year's work in 

 Mr. Merrill's laboratory and are of very great educational value. As a 

 supplement to the building-stone collection, a set of photographic nega- 

 tives of some of the more important stone buildings in the country has 

 been made, and from them enlarged prints (30 by 40 inches) have been 

 prepared and colored, showing the appearance of various kinds of 

 building stones used in architectural work. 



The most important collections in the Department of Physical Geology 

 are : the collection of lavas from Ice Springs Butte, Utah ; two speci- 

 mens of glacial polished mica from Prof. F. W. Clarke, and one large 



