378 The Americn Geologist. •^"°^' ^^^^ 
Wapplerite = rosslerite (A. de Schulten, ibid.. 1903, 
vol. xxvi, p. 99). 
Warrenite = jamesonite (L. J. Spencer, Nature. 1904, 
vol. Ixix, p. 575). 
EDITORIAL COMMENT. 
The New Building for the National Museum, at Washing- 
ton, D. C. 
PLATE XVIII. 
The present National Museum building has, almost 
from the day of its completion, been recognized as quite 
inadequate to meet the requirements of the rapidly growing 
collections and to supply the needs of an ever increasing 
force of workers. In his report for 1882 professor Baird 
discussed this matter and proposed that a third building be 
erected on the southwest corner of the Smithsonian reser- 
vation, sufficient for the accommodation of the Geological 
Survey and the geological and mineralogical collections of 
the Museum. A bill providing for such a building was in- 
troduced into Congress and referred to the Committee on 
Public Buildings and Grounds, but no definite action at that 
time was taken. 
From 1882 until the present time the necessity for a new 
building has never ceased to be the subject of more or less 
attention by the regents and secretary, but it was not until 
the spring of 1903 that a bill was finally passed appropri- 
ating three and a half million dollars for this object. At the 
present writing the foundation for the new building is laid 
and work upon the superstructure begun. 
According to the details, as given in the last report of 
assistant secretary Rathbun. the new building, which is to 
be situated on the north side of the Smithsonian grounds 
and facing the old Smithsonian building, will have a length 
of five hundred and fifty-one feet, a width of three hundred 
and eighteen feet, exclusive of projections, and a hight of 
stonework above the basement floor of seventy-seven feet. 
There will be four stories including the basement, which, 
beginning above the level of the adjoining sfreet. will be 
