8 EEPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1886. 



reptiles lias been placed on exhibition in the west range of the Smith- 

 sonian building. Almost the entire lower hall in the Smithsonian build- 

 ing has been devoted to the bird collection, though the Department of 

 Mollusks still retains some of its specimens in the table cases between 

 the bird cases in the alcoves. A small series of insects* has been in- 

 stalled in the southeast court of the Museum building, and the osteol- 

 ogical collection has been largely extended. The collections acquired 

 by the Museum at the close of the New Orleans Exposition have been 

 received and assigned. 



In connection with the administration of the collections, three hundred 

 and twenty-two papers t have been published, of which a tabulated 

 statement, by subjects, is given under the heading of "Publications." 



In the report for 1884, when the last census of the collections was 

 reported, the number of specimens in the Museum was estimated at 

 1,471,000. During the last eighteen months J the increase has been, as 

 shown by the following table, 949,934 specimens : 



CENSUS OF THE COLLECTIONS. 



Estimated number of specimens in the several departments of the Museum, June 30, 1886. 



Department of Arts and Industries : No. of specimens. 



Materia Medica 4, 850 



Textile Industries $ 3, 0G4 



Fisheries 9,870 



Ani mal products 2, 792 



Foodst 822 



Historical relics 1, 002 



Paints and dyes t 77 



The Catlin Gallery 500 



Physical apparatus 250 



Oils and gums t 197 



Chemical products! 659 



Musical instruments 400 



Modern pottery 2,278 



Coins and medals, paper money, etc 1, 055 



II. (a) Department of Ethnology §500,000 



II. (6) Department of Prehistoric American Pottery 25,000 



II T. Deparment of Prehistoric Anthropology 65,314 



IV. Department of Mammals (skins and alcoholic specimens) 7, 451 



V. Department of Birds 55,945 



V. (&) Department of Birds' Eggs 44,163 



VI. Department of Eeptiles and Batrachians 25, 344 



VII. Department of Fishes 75,000 



IX. Department of Mollusks (including Cenozoic fossils) 460, 000 



X. Department of Insects 500,000 



* Perhaps one-fourth of the material on exhibition formed the exhibit prepared for 

 the New Orleans Exposition. 



t Ninety -five of these papers were prepared by investigators not officially connected 

 with the Museum. 



X January, 1885, to July, 1886. 



$ Estimated. 



