L/nii'Mi'). I'l liLKwrioss 15 



From Noi'tli Ainci'ica. \\\vvv arc iiii|)()rlaiil collections iVom Mexico. 

 Nicaraji;ua. ( 'aliforiiia. Texas, Arizona and the Mi<l(llc Atlantic States — 

 the Hock>- Mountain region l)ein«>; most i)oorl\- rei)resente(l. Of special 

 collections, tlu" (uH)r«»;e X. LawnMice and Maximilian collections are of 

 special impoilance from the lumdrtMls of \\\)v specimens which they 

 contain. 



MifivraliHifj. — ]\Iost of the mineral specimens are on exhibit ion. hut 

 the ov(M-fio\v from the i)ul)lic cas(\s forms a stu(l\' series of no mean 

 ])n)])ortion. 



Public Health. I Av'nv^ bacteria an^ maintained and distributed 

 free to recognized laboratories. 



Vertebrate Pakvontology. — The study collections comprise about 

 15,000 catalogued specimens of fossil mammals, 6,000 fossil reptiles 

 and amphibians and a few hundred fossil birds. Most of these are 

 from the western United States. The collections of fossil horses, 

 Eocene mammals and Cretaceous dinosaurs are unrivaled. The fossil 

 rhinoceroses, camels, oreodonts, carnivora, Fayum, Pampean and Pa- 

 tagonian mammals, Jurassic dinosaurs, Permian reptiles, turtles, etc., 

 are likewise of the first rank. They include more than nine hundred 

 type specimens of fossil mammals and several hundred type specimens 

 of fossil reptiles and amphibians. 



The Museum Library, located on the fifth floor, contains about 

 J., 70,000 volumes on various branches of natural history- 



(save botany), anthropology and travel. It is particularly 

 strong in vertebrate palaeontology and scientific periodicals. Like other 

 museum libraries, it is of necessity a reference library, but, except on 

 Sundays and holidays, may be freely used by the public during the 

 hours when the Museum is open. 



The publications of the Museum, aside from the Annual Report, 

 Publicaf ^^^^ naturally into two groups: scientific and popular. The 



former, comprising the Memoirs, Anthropological Papers 

 and Bulletin, contain information gathered by the various expeditions, 

 or derived from the study of material collected; they are from the nature 

 of their subjects mainly of a technical character. The Memoirs consist 

 of the larger, more important papers, or those that call for unusually 

 large illustrations. These are issued from time to time as occasion may 

 demand. The Bulletin comprises the shorter papers, those that contain 

 information that it is desirable to issue promptly, and a volume of about 

 400 pages is issued annually. The scientific papers are distributed, 

 largely in exchange, to museums and libraries throught the world. 



The popular pubhcations include the Journal, Leaflets, Guides and 

 Handbooks, and are intended for the information of the general pub- 

 lic. The Journal, begun in 1900, is the means of promptly inform- 



