Jan., 1909. 



Annual Report of the Director. 



245 



Marbles and building stones now occupy one hall instead of two, 

 and the metallurgical collections previously occupying one hall have 

 been discontinued as a group. In connection with this change in 

 the distribution of the specimens a large increase in their number 

 has been effected. Thus the paleontological collections now number 

 about 60,000 specimens instead of 20,000, the number of meteoric falls 

 represented has been increased from 180 to 300, the number of miner- 

 als in the systematic collection from 5,000 to 15,000 and the economic 

 collections show a net increase of about 5,000 and a total of over 

 15,000 specimens. Two hundred and five prints have been added to 

 the Department photograph albums since the last report, making a 

 total of 2,193 prints now in these albums. In the chemical laboratory 

 a case has been built for keeping additional apparatus and in the office 

 of the Department one for some of the larger pieces of physical ap- 

 paratus. Two storage cases have been added to the paleontological 

 laboratory and fitted with wooden trays. Owing to work upon the 

 dinosaur mount less opportunity than usual was afforded for cleaning 

 material from the matrix in the paleontological laboratory. The 

 principal work of this kind accomplished during the year was the 

 preparation of skulls and parts of skeletons of Moropus and Hypo- 

 hippus. 



The crowded condition in the herbarium has necessitated certain 

 alterations whereby more space could be obtained to accommodate 

 the collections. The congestion has been temporarily alleviated by 

 transferring the mounting room from the second to the first gallery 

 of the north Court, thus freeing the west room of the second gallery 

 for herbarium extension. By this change sufficient space has been 

 gained to accommodate the herbarium for about two years : moreover, 

 some additional room for temporary storage purposes was secured in 

 connection with the newly appointed mounting room. A combina- 

 tion steel table and bookcase has been installed in the library of the 

 Department, especially designed for the proper shelving and preser- 

 vation of the heavier and some of the rarer botanical folios, of which 

 several have been acquired during the past year. The case is approx- 

 imately 9 feet x 3^ feet x 2]/^ feet, with a capacity sufficient to accom- 

 modate about 100 ordinary folios; in general style and finish it con- 

 forms with the steel herbarium cases already in use in this Department. 

 Notwithstanding the absence of the Curator on two extended European 

 trips during the year, very satisfactory progress has been made in the 

 rehabilitation of the Section of Plant Economics. The entire south 



