40 Report of the President 



Many minor changes and improvements have been made in 



cases and equipment that add much to the appearance of the 



_ .... halls and facilitate the use of the material, par- 



Building . . , , , . . ' v 



Operations ticularly by the many classes that visit or meet at 



the Museum. The frequent demand for tables has 



been met by the construction of a number of folding tables 



that serve for the display of material. 



Besides fixed cases for the Hopi, Fur Seal and Crane 

 Groups, 1 8 metal-frame cases have been constructed, 1,700 of 

 the standard storage trays that are ever in demand and 100 

 insect trays. 



A most important piece of work, now well advanced, is the 

 construction of metal storage racks, equipped with heavy 

 trays, for fossil vertebrates. This not only adds greatly to 

 the capacity of the storeroom and the accessibility of the 

 specimens, but does away with the tiers of clumsy and inflam- 

 mable wooden tables with which the room was filled. 



Another important item for the equipment of a modern 

 museum is a fireproof storage closet for moving picture films, 

 such as has just been built, which contains not even an electric 

 light wire, the illumination being wholly from without. 



Work on the various exhibits has progressed steadily and 



satisfactorily, there having been general improvements in 



_ , ., . installing and labeling: collections as noted in 

 New Exhibits , ^ , « mi . 



the Departmental Reports. The reception of 



the fine Keith collection necessitated a complete rearrange- 

 ment of the Mexican Hall, and, in order to make room for it 

 without retiring other objects, many of the Maya casts have 

 been placed in the South Corridor, second floor, which has 

 been made over for their reception and is about to be repainted. 

 The most noteworthy addition to the exhibits is the Hopi 

 Indian Group, portraying a part of the village of Walpi. 

 This, while on the general lines of the habitat groups, 

 embodies many novel features of construction and lighting; 

 it was planned by Mr. Howard McCormick and executed by 

 him and Mr. Mahonri M. Young with some assistance from 

 the regular Museum preparators. A companion piece in the 

 way of an Apache Group by the same artists is now well 



