46 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



has been received a Kodak camera, together with a series of enlarged 

 photographs illustrating its use. 



Distribution of duplicate specimens. — Duplicate specimens, to the num- 

 oer of 11,382, were distributed during the year among museums, colleges, 

 and individuals. The following table shows the character and extent of 

 these distributions : 



Nature of specimens distributed. 



Ethnology 



American prehistoric -pottery 



Prehistoric anthropology 



Mammals 



Birds 



Birds' eggs 



Reptiles 



Fishes 



Mollusks 



Insects 



Marine invertebrates 



Invertebrate fossils 



Fossil and recent plants 



Minerals 



Rocks 



Metallurgy 



Pkotograpks and drawings.. 



Total 



Number of 

 specimens. 



268 



32 



833 



42 



63& 



3 



47 



39 



369 



197 



2,072 



598 



2,945 



2, 370. 



804 



58 



79 



11, 382 



The decrease in the number of specimens thus given away, as com- 

 pared with last year, is accounted for by the fact tliat ouly 2,072 speci- 

 mens of marine invertebrates have been distributed this year, while 

 last year 24,750 specimens of this class were presented to applicants. 

 Eliminating this class of specimens, the number distributed this year is 

 double thatof last year. The number of requests for duplicate specimens 

 increase yearly. It is hoped that in the future it may be possible for the 

 Museum to extend its usefulness in this important part of the work» 

 The material now available for distribution is quite inadequate to supply 

 the demand. The curators of mineralogy and of geology obtained a large 

 quautity of material during the past summer for this special purpose. 

 As soon as it has been classified and arranged into sets, an endeavor 

 will be made to fill the many applications for mineralogical and litho- 

 logical material now awaiting action. The matter of making up sets of 

 duplicate bird-skins is now receiving careful attention, there being 

 much of such material available for distribution. 



Labels. — During the year, 3,991 labels were printed, chiefly for use in 

 the departments of metallurgy, materia medica, and birds. 



