REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 41 



320 species of European mosses from Dr. I. Hageu, Troudhjem, Nor- 

 way; 800 specimens collected by Frederick V. Coville, of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, in Virginia and North Carolina. 



The total number of specimens in the National Herbarium is esti- 

 mated as follows : Mounted, 155,000; duplicates, 18,000. 



This portion of the National Herbarium is in great danger owing to 

 the lack of fire-proofrooms in which it can be kept. Dr. Vasey in his 

 report emphasizes the risk of allowing it to continue in inappropriate 

 quarters. He says : " If it were destroyed by fire it could never be en- 

 tirely replaced, and a large number of type specimens would be lost. 

 The collection of American grasses is the largest in existence, and con- 

 tains the type specimens of nearly all the species of American grasses 

 described during the last fifteen years." 



A new museum building should soon be provided, in which this and 

 several other collections, at present without proper shelter, may be ap- 

 propriately installed. 



Department of Fossil Plants. — A series of fossil plants consisting of 

 about 000 specimens, representing as far as practicable the evolution- 

 ary development of plant life has been placed on exhibition. A series 

 of labels has been prepared for these specimens and printed. 



The duplicate specimens of fossil plants belonging to the Museum are- 

 stored in the Armory building, for lack of other space. 



The remaining type specimens belouging to the Museum collections, 

 representing the earlier geological formations, have been entirely re- 

 arranged during the year. 



Professor Ward has been engaged during the year in the preparation 

 of a monograph of the flora of the Laramie group. 



The fine Kansas collection of Dakota group plants, purchased from 

 Mr. Charles Sternberg by the Geological Survey, was incorporated with 

 the Museum collections in 1889. This contains 400 types of the plants 

 of the Dakota group, which were studied by Professor Lesquereux. 



Mr. Charles S. Prosser, of the Geological Survey, one of Professor 

 Ward's assistants, has recently studied the flora of the Silurian and 

 Devonian formations, and has made extensive collections in various 

 parts of New York. 



Mr. David White, of the Survey, has been engaged in the identifica- 

 tion of a series of cretaceous plants collected by himself on Martha's 

 Viueyard, and has also commenced the study of a collection of Car- 

 boniferous plants from Missouri. 



Mr. F. H. Knowlton has studied a collection of fossil wood from 

 Arkansas; and has prepared a report, which will soon be published by 

 the Arkansas Geological Survey. He has also published a paper upon 

 the fossil wood of the Potomac formation, in which several new species 

 are described ; this publication also contains an elaborate review of the 

 literature relating to the study of internal structure, from its earliest 

 mention down to the close of the year 1886. 



