DEPARTMENT OF LITHOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOLOGY. 141 



On iny return from STew Orleans the routine work of the Museum 

 was resumed and carried forward as rapidly as possible with the small 

 force of assistance at my command. The large quantity of building- 

 stone and other material occupying space in the southwest court was 

 removed aud stored temporarily in a shed at the eastern entrance of 

 the Museum, the court thus being thrown open for exhibition purposes. 

 By a reassignment of exhibition space this department was made to 

 include the whole of the west south range instead of a portion of this 

 range and a portion of the court as hitherto. The new arrangement is 

 vastly preferable, both on account of light and convenience in classi- 

 fying and arranging the exhibits. Early in May, acting under instruc- 

 tions from yourself, the force of the department was again increased by 

 the addition of one aid, Mr. L. H. Merrill, one clerk, Miss B. Frankland, 

 and three stone-cutters, and the work begun of preparing a collection 

 of building-stone that shall in part duplicate our own, for the American 

 Museum in New York City ; the collection to comprise, when complete, 

 not less than one thousand specimens and an equal number of thin 

 sections for microscopic study. This work was still in progress at the 

 close of the fiscal year. 



Owing to the pressure of other work, I did not deem it advisable to 

 return to New Orleans at the close of the exposition in June, and re- 

 quested of the Assistant Director that other employes of the Museum be 

 authorized to oversee the packing and shipment of the material be- 

 longing to this department. This was accordingly done. I wish here 

 to return especial thanks to Mr. J. Warner Edwards for assistance ren- 

 dered, both during and at the close of the exposition, in arranging, 

 labeling, and packing the collections. Mr. Edwards's aid was purely 

 voluntary but none the less valuable and well appreciated. 



REVIEW OF RESEARCHES. 



From the foregoing it will be apparent that the curator could give 

 but little time to the preparation of original papers with an idea to pub- 

 lication. Nevertheless certain material that came into the department 

 was of such a nature as seemingly to demand a more than passing 

 notice, and to such was given what time could be gleaned at odd 

 moments and by working extra hours. The brief papers resulting are 

 included in the bibliography of this report. 



The condition of the collections is as yet such as to offer but little 

 inducement for others than officers of the Museum to come here for the 

 purpose of study, and no papers relating to objects in the collection 

 have been prepared other than those mentioned above. 



PRESENT STATE OF THE COLLECTION. 



The present state of the collection is such that no accurate figures 

 can be given regarding the number of specimens. This fact will, I 



