246 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



(29) A small series of aluminum and its alloys. Gift of Mr. A. E. Hunt, president 

 of the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. 



CHARACTER OF ROUTINE WORK. 



The character of the routine work has not varied materially from that 

 of previous years. 



A very large portion of the curator's time has been expended in the 

 dull routine of assorting collections, preparing copy for labels, and re- 

 plying, or furnishing material for replies, to correspondents in all parts 

 of the country. 



The work of identifying material sent to the Museum by persons not 

 officially connected therewith consumes a very considerable amount of 

 time. The following list will give some idea of the character of material 

 sent to the department, not as Museum accessions, but for the purpose of 

 ascertaining its nature and economic value. While the department can 

 not make assays and aualyses in such cases, it is assumed that the 

 sender is entitled to a fair answer. In case the work can not be done 

 or the exact information given, it is customary to refer him to other 

 sources. 



On Ace. 529: Concretions of clay-iron stone; received from F. A. Degeler, Cheha- 

 lis, Washington. 



On Ace. 562 : Vivianite ; received from Dr. A. B. Thomas, Lucerne, Putnam County, 

 Missouri. 



On Ace. 516 : Concretions; received from Miss R. D. Carlock, Worsham, Prince 

 Edward County, Virginia. 



On Ace. 577 : Nodule of pyrite ; received from Henry Berry, Phebe, Union County, 

 Tennessee. 



On Ace. 496: Graphite; received from J. L. Obendorf, Downey ville, Nye County, 

 Nevada. 



On Ace. 567 : Sandstone ; received from E. Welvirt, Sunbury, Pennsylvania. 



On Ace. 571 : Impure magnetic iron ore; received from W. F. Melone, Standards- 

 ville, Virginia. 



On Ace. 585: Phosphatic sandstone; received from Wood Brothers, Louisville, 

 Kentucky. 



On Ace. 588 : Sulphide of iron ; received from H. G. Rising, San Bernardino, Cali- 

 fornia. 



On Ace. 590 : Garnet, etc. ; received from E. Brooks, Crown Point Center, New 

 York. 



On Ace. 595: Material for analysis; received from Ray & Brian, Kissimee, Florida. 



On Ace. 596 : Ore from I. B. Gray, Trout Creek, Missouri County, Montana. 



On Ace. 603 : Soap rock ; received from C. H. Briggs, Kankakee, Illiuois. 



On Ace. 602 : Ores received from B- F. White, Addison, Maine. 



On Ace. 605: Phosphatic material received from George A. Niles, Mannfield, Florida. 



On Ace. 608 : Black tourmaline; received from George Bishop, Miner's Delight, 

 Wyoming. 



On Ace. 606 : Mica schist; received from Carrie W. Smith, North Grafton, Massachu- 

 setts. 



On Ace. 623 : Material for testing ; received from W. H. Symonds, Utica, New 

 York. 



On Ace. 627 : Ore ; received from L. J. Schultz, Argyle, Wisconsin. 



On Ace. 6:'.0 : Clay; received from S. Heyinan, Fayetteville, Tennessee. 



