6 Field Museum of Natural History — Reports, Vol. IV. 



It cannot be out of place in this report to mention the lamentable 

 sudden death of Mr. Theodore Lescher, who had been for several years 

 intimately associated with the staff of the Museum in preparing the 

 plans for the interior arrangement of the new Museum building. A 

 man of rare accomplishments, fine sensibilities, and scrupulous conduct, 

 the sudden ending of his life, full of the promises of high station in his 

 profession, is deplored. The conclusion, for the present at least, of 

 the expedition of Dr. Berthold Laufer to China and Tibet in the interest 

 of the Department of Anthropology, and under the support of the fund 

 provided by Mrs. T. B. Blackstone, is worthy of special mention in view 

 of the brilliant results that rewarded the three years of researches con- 

 ducted by its accomplished chief. The amount of material, but, what 

 is of greater importance, its character, places the Museum in the first 

 rank among those institutions that have entered this difficult and fasci- 

 nating territory. It is hoped that a large part of the collections will be 

 on view within a few months, and that in the meantime, a number of 

 valuable contributions to the knowledge of Tibet and China reflected 

 by these collections and their capable study will be made by Dr. Laufer, 

 who has accepted the permanent appointment of Associate Curator 

 of the Division of Asiatic Ethnology on the staff of the Museum. While 

 referred to elsewhere, special mention should be made of the generous 

 donations of Mr. Joseph N. Field for prosecuting ethnological investi- 

 gations in the South Pacific Islands; the contribution of the Standard 

 Oil Company in both funds and material for the reinstallation of Petro- 

 leum Hall; and further donation from Mr. Stanley McCormick for 

 the extension of the investigations of the Hopi Indians. The members 

 of the Board of Trustees of the Museum have individually made a 

 number of contributions of money to the Institution during the year. 

 Extensive repairs and improvements have been made in and about the 

 Museum building during 1910. The entire exterior of the structure 

 has been whitewashed and the roof and subordinate foundations, 

 entrances, etc., have been repaired and strengthened in accordance 

 with the recommendations of the Architects, D. H. Burnham & Com- 

 pany. An iron fence has been erected around the building to protect 

 the public walking in the park near the walls from possible falling 

 plaster from the cornice, resulting from constant deterioration. The 

 city telephone service has been extended both for Departmental and 

 public use within the building, and the laboratories and work rooms 

 as well as a number of the exhibition halls have been rearranged and 

 repainted, refloored, etc. One of the most important additions to the 

 facilities of the working force of the Museum has been the renting 



