REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 61 



A course of four lectures ou tbe anthropological exhibits at the Paris 

 Exposition of 1880, was given by Mr. Thomas Wilson. The subjects of 

 his lectures were : 



Tuesday, May 13. — Prehistoric Anthropology. 

 Friday, May 16. — Ancient Industries, Charms and Amulets. 

 Wednesday, May 21. — History of Human Habitations. 

 Friday, May 23. — Anthropological Congresses and Prehistoric Museums. 



The meetings of the Biological Society of Washington have been 

 held during the past year at the assembly hall of the Cosmos Club, 

 this location being found more convenient than the National Museum. 



The use of the Museum lantern has been granted on several occasions 

 for the purpose of illustrating lectures, both in the Museum building 

 and elsewhere. This was done without charge, excepting for the ac- 

 tual cost of the gas. The services of an assistant were also given by 

 the Museum free of charge. 



STUDENTS. 



Previous to the organization of the staff of curators in the National 

 Museum, it was customary to send collections to all parts of the United 

 States, and, in some instances, to foreign countries, to be worked up by 

 specialists. This system was then necessary, owing to the fact that 

 there were few specialists in Washington. During the last ten years 

 the policy of the Museum in this respect has been modified, owing to 

 the presence in the Museum of a traiued staff among whom the collec- 

 tions are now usually assigned for study. 



Requests are occasionally made by students for material to be used 

 for comparison in connection with their special studies, aud such re- 

 quests are always granted when it can be done without detriment to the 

 Museum. 



During the year several lots of birds' skins have been lent to Dr. J. 

 A. Allen, of the American Museum of Natural History. The Museum 

 collection of bats has been placed at tne disposal of Dr. Harrison Allen, 

 of Philadelphia, who is engaged in the preparation of a new edition of 

 his monograph of the bats of North America. At the request of Mr. 

 Ernest E. Thompson, of Toronto, Canada, skins of birds and skins and 

 skulls of rodents have been sent to him for study. Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 

 of the Department of Agriculture, has made extensive use of the re- 

 serve series of North American mammals. Dr. E. A. Mearns, of Fort 

 Snelliug, Minnesota, has examined the collection of prairie dogs. Dr. 

 D. W. Prentiss, of Washington, has had occasion to make a study of 

 the ermine skins in the collection. Specimens of Doras dentatus and 

 Clarias nieuhojii were lent for study to Mr. Bashford Dean, of the Col- 

 lege of the City of New York. A number of Coleoptera were sent to 

 Capt. T. L. Casey for study. The Museum collection of Crustacea from 

 the Bahamas was sent to Prof. C. S. Dolley, of the University of Penn- 

 sylvania, for study. Twelve specimens of the ocean-bottom, collected 



