REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



C— THE CONDITION OF THE COLLECTIONS. 



The general condition "of the collections is fairly satisfactory ; for, 

 although greatly hampered by lack of room, and impeded by the in- 

 creasing amount of unproductive routine, such as the examination of 

 material for correspondents and the preparations for participation in 

 exhibitions in other cities, the curators have succeeded in bringing 

 the material under their charge more fully under control than it had 

 hitherto been and in preventing any deterioration in its condition. 



CENSUS OF THE COLLECTIONS. 



The recent extensions of the collections are indicated by the accoin- 

 panying table. No enumeration was made in 1885, and the variation 

 between the tables for 1884 and 1886 exhibits the increase during 

 eighteen months, from December, 1884, to June, 1886. 



Table showing yearly increase in the collections in the National Museum, 1882-1887. 



Name of department. 



1882. 



1883. 



1884. 



nsso. 



1885-'8S. 



1886-'87. 



Arts and industries : 

 Materia medica. .. 





4,000 

 2 1,244 



4.442 

 1,580 

 2, OUO 

 5, 000 

 1, 000 

 600 





4,850 



3 822 

 3,064 

 3 9, 870 

 2,792 



5,516 



Foods 





<877 



Textiles 





3,144 



Fisheries 







10, 078 



Animal products 







2,822 



Naval architecture 







Historical relics 









1,002 



1,055 

 400 



2,278 

 377 



500 



250 



3 197 



3 659 



5 500, 000 



25, 000 



65, 314 



7,451 



55, 945 



44.166 



25, 344 



75, 000 



8 460, 000 



6 500, OuO 



6 350, 000 



10,210 



80, 482 

 69, 742 



) 



Coins, medals, paper 

 money, etc 











\ 13, 634 



Musical instruments 











417 



Modern pottery, porce- 

 lain, and bronzes.... 











2, 238 



Paints and dves 











100 



"The Catlin Gallery"... 











500 



Physical apparatus 











251 



Oils and gums 











198 



Chemical products 











661 



Ethnology 







200, 000 

 12, 000 

 45, 252 



5, 694 



50, 350 



40, 072 



23, 405 



68, 000 



400, 000 



"151, 000 



5 200, 000 



4,214 



3,000 



73. 000 



}.... 



503, 764 



American aboriginal pottery. 

 Prehistoric anthropology . .. 

 Mammals (skins and alco- 

 holics) 



Birds 







6 26, 022 

 101, 659 



7,811 

 54,987 



35, 512 



4,660 

 44, 354 



40, 491 



J, 920 



47, 246 



Birds' eggs 



6 48, 173 



Reptiles and batrachiaus . .. 







27,542 



Fishes 



50, 000 



65, 000 



7 14*82d" 



3,640 

 103 



20, 000 



100, 000 



Mollnsks 



7 33, 375 



1,000 



T ll,781 



3, 535 



70 



425, 000 



Insects 



5 585, 000 



Marine invertebrates 



Comparative anatomy : 



Osteology 



H50, 000 



Anatomy 



5 1 1,022 



Palaeozoic fossils 



84, 491 



Mesozoic fossils 





100,000 .- 



70, 775 



Ceuozoic fossils 



(Inciud 



edwith l 



jollusks.) 







*No census of collection taken. 



2 Including paints, pigments, and oils. 



3 Duplicates not included, 



4 Foods only. 

 6 Estimated. 



6 2,235 are nests. 

 7 Catalogue entries. 

 8 Including Ceuozoic fossils. 

 9 Professor Riley's collection numbers 150,000 

 specimens. 



