Jan., 1918. Annual Report of the Director. 



169 



study of the development of Japanese design and art-motives. Plans 

 have been laid out for the re-organization of the Egyptian collection 

 and its adaptation to the new surrotmdings, for which the old-style 

 cases proved imfit. Six standard cases are now completed, and comprise 

 stone tomb tablets, portrait statuary, and statuettes, vases carved 

 from alabaster and other stone, and pottery, the latter filling two 

 cases. One of these contains vessels of the Prehistoric Empire, of 

 Ptolemaic and Roman times, along with amphorae and ostraca col- 

 lected by Mr. Ayer. The other case comprises Greek, Cypriote and 

 Coptic pottery, Roman vessels and lamps of clay, Menas flasks and 

 other amphorae. All this material is now displayed to greater advantage 

 and in conformity with modem methods. On January 11, Hall 11 

 adjoining the South Court was vacated to make room for the storage 

 of publications, which required a re-arrangement and adjustment of the 

 cases illustrating the ethnology of the Kwakiutl and Tlingit. The house- 

 posts and 3 cases were placed in Hall 12. One case of Athapascan 

 ethnology from Alcove 109, South Court, was placed in Hall 4. Two 

 cases from Hall 11 were transferred to Alcove 109, South Court. One 

 case from Hall 11 was removed to Alcove iii. South Court, along with 

 a Tlingit case from Alcove 109. The case showing house-models was 

 placed in Hall 10. Material from Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and 

 Bolivia was placed in storage in Hall 69. After the new arrangement of 

 the Philippine section, the East Annex was cleared of all new or vacant 

 cases, scattered around in the various halls, and those are now con- 

 centrated in Hall 37. Four old Geology cases containing pottery and 

 Gilbert Island armor of the Joseph N. Field Collections were stripped 

 of their contents which were placed in permanent storage cases in Hall 

 68. The requisitioned cases were transferred to other departments of 

 the Museum. The two Peabody wall-cases in Alcove 122, North Court, 

 containing collections from India, were stored in Halls 68 and 69. 

 Other material from India, including the wooden carvings long stored 

 in the East Annex, has been placed in permanent storage in Hall 69. 

 The contents of six standard cases of the oldest type in Hall 4, con- 

 taining Eskimo ethnology, was transferred to standard cases of more 

 recent make. The former cases will be used in the display of Mexican 

 archaeology now being installed. As fast as the Peabody cases in the 

 East Court have been vacated for re-installation, they have been used 

 for storage in the West Annex of all study and exchange material, 

 thus housing the specimens in less space and more safely than here- 

 tofore. Re-arrangements were made in 9 cases, and 61 cases were 

 poisoned. Over 600 specimens, chiefly from the South Sea Islands, 

 Philippine Islands, Egypt and Mexico, were repaired or treated dur- 



