As has already been explained, the new museum is not intended simply for the exhibition of objects of natural history, the controlling idea being rather that of an ethnological exhibit, especially to include illustrations of the applications of objects belonging to the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, and the requirements or luxuries of man. To this end the collections made by the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Fish Commission, for exhibition at the Centennial Exposition of 1876, and the Berlin International Fishery Exposition of 1880, come admirably into play, and constitute the basis of the material, which, however, has been largely increased from other sources.

It is proposed to devote one-fourth of the space, about 25,000 square feet, to an illustration of the mineral resources, in the form of building stones, ores, combustibles, clays, pigments, &c.

Another fourth of the building will be taken up by illustrations of the animal industries, with representatives of the originals, or plaster or papier-mache casts, of the principal animals used for food or other ⚫ purposes by man, together with all the various apparatus by which they are pursued, captured, and utilized; then the results of the manipulation, and also illustrations of the methods by which animals are protected or multiplied; this confining itself principally to an exhibition in connection with the artificial propagation of fishes and other aquatic animals.

A portion of the building will be filled by the display of other special objects, including the materia medica, foods, paints, and dyes of all nations.

In the purely ethnological collections, or such as relate to the savage or semi-civilized races of modern times, space will be provided for in this building, and a small area assigned to the exhibition of mounted mammals and osteological specimens. Fuller details of arrangement will be reserved for the next report.

The expansion of the scope of the National Museum of course involves an enlarged force, and the engagement of several specialists to take charge of their respective departments. This has been deferred until 1881.

In view of the large number of cases required in this building-not less than one thousand in all-the selection of suitable plans and modes of construction has been a matter of great importance, and we have accordingly endeavored to obtain all possible information as to methods of arrangement in foreign and home museums. Professor Agassiz has kindly supplied working drawings of the newer cases of the Museum of Comparative Zoology; and the authorities of South Kensington and the new British Museum, as well as those of the Royal Museum of Dresden, and other establishments, have rendered similar facilities. Mr. G. Brown Goode, the curator of the museum, during the period of his action as commissioner to the Berlin International Fishery Exposition, took occasion to visit all the principal museums in Germany, Italy,

and Great Britain, and made himself familiar with the arrangements prevalent therein. The result has been to supply many important ideas, which will be carried out in connection with the new National Museum at Washington.

In the necessary reorganization of the whole force of the museum, in connection with the new departure, occasion was taken to reiterate and enforce the rule which is adopted in most public museums throughout the world, namely, that the officers connected with the museum shall make no collections of any kind whatever for themselves during the period of their connection with it. Although in most cases a mere matter of form, it has been thought well to make such a rule a condition of acceptance of a position and salary, as thereby preventing any misunderstanding and removing any danger of making an official position the means of promoting private interest. Persons in charge of a collection have many opportunities of securing specimens from visitors, who offer objects of more or less interest, and who are sometimes inclined to give them to the officer rather than to the collection.

Increase of the Museum.-The additions to the National Museum during the year 1880 have been fully up to the average, indeed scarcely inferior to those of any previous year, with the exception of that of the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. The collections of marine animals, especially fishes and invertebrates from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States, far exceed in value and extent those ever before obtained. The most important sources of supply have been (1) the collections of the United States Fish Commission, made on the south coast of New England, and of the Gloucester fishermen, obtained for the most part off the eastern banks, and transmitted through the commission; (2) the collections made by Profs. D. S. Jordan and Charles H. Gilbert, of fishes and invetebrates, between San Diego and Puget Sounds; (3) the collections of Dr. T. H. Bean and Mr. William H. Dall in Alaskan waters of the North Pacific and in the Arctic Ocean; (4) collections of marine animals made by Dr. White, Surgeon of the United States revenue steamer Corwin, and by Captain Hooper commanding; (5) the general ethnological and zoological collections of Mr. E. H. Nelson, of the United States Signal Service; (6) collection of archæological objects made by Mr. James Stevenson, assisted by Mr. F. G. Galbraith. While, however, these are the most noteworthy there are many others of great interest that will be referred to hereafter. The catalogue of donations accompanying the report will give fuller details on this subject, bearing in mind that no small number of contributions have been received without indications of their origin, so that it becomes impossible to make the proper acknowledgments to their contributors.

The regions covered by these contributions relate almost exclusively to North America, a few collections only coming from Mexico or the

West Indies; and a still smaller number from the rest of the world. A number of very important series of fishes was obtained by Mr. Goode at the Berlin Fishery Exposition, but as they have not been unpacked and arranged, reference to them will be deferred until the next report.

Alaska, as the least known portion of North America, and the one presenting the most numerous problems of interest, received special attention during the year, and the amount of material gained has been proportionally great.

Mr. E. W. Nelson, observer of the signal office at Saint Michaels, has continued his most important transmissions covering all branches of scientific inquiry; among these the most specially noteworthy is the collection of ethnological materials, illustrating the manners and customs of the living Esquimaux of the region, as well as much of prehistoric antiquity. Mr. Nelson has already sent in about 6,000 pieces of anthropological matter. His collections of mammals, birds, &c., have been of very great importance.

Under orders from Captain Patterson, of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Mr. Dall, assistant of the Coast Survey, made a second visit to the Alaskan seas in the schooner Yukon, originally built under his direction for the service. By permission of Captain Patterson, seconded by the invitation of Mr. Dall, Dr. T. H. Bean was detailed to accompany the expedition for the purpose of investigating especially the fish and fish eries of the northern waters.

The vessel left San Francisco in April, 1880, and touching at various points passed into the Arctic Ocean, where quite an extended cruise was prosecuted in the interest of the survey. It returned to San Francisco in November, 1880, and the collections of specimens, in forty-five packages, were received not long after in Washington. These embrace very large numbers of ethnological and archæological objects, specimens of birds, fishes, invertebrates, and other articles of great interest, to some of which further reference will be made.

No collections were received this year from Mr. Lucien Turner, superintendent of the volunteer stations of the Signal Service of the Aleutian Islands. Large gatherings, however, have been made by him which will be due during the year 1881.

Mr. James G. Swan, of Neah Bay, Puget Sound, has continued his valuable contributions to the National Museum, which have now extended over a period of many years. Being especially interested in ethnology, specimens belonging to that branch were particularly attended to, while many fishes also have been forwarded.

Commander L. A. Beardslee, of the Jamestown, stationed at Sitka, Alaska, has also made many contributions of birds and ethnological objects.

A most important and extended exploration of the Pacific coast was that conducted by Prof. D. S. Jordan, assisted by Charles H. Gilbert. Professor Jordan was detailed by Mr. Goode, in charge of the fishery

branch of the census of 1880, to obtain all the procurable information in regard to fishery of the western coast; and leaving Washington in December, 1879, after spending some time in San Francisco he proceeded to San Diego and thence by successive stages to Puget Sound, his work there overlapping and uniting with that of Mr. Swan. In this work he embraced the opportunity of making extensive collections of alcoholic specimens, of which no less than 65 large cans were transmitted. These contain about 260 species of fishes, a number of them new to science, and for the most part in sufficient numbers to supply many institutions with duplicates, and to transmit desirable exchanges abroad.

The revenue steamer Corwin, on her usual cruise in the seas of Northern Alaska, during 1879, was accompanied by Dr. R. White, of the Marine Hospital Service, and a trained, ardent naturalist. Many important collections were made by Dr. White, especially of seals, including many fœtuses, birds, and fishes. His specimens were received in the early part of the year, and submitted for examination to various experts. I regret extremely to have to report the untimely death of Dr. White, partly from exposure in the service. In a second cruise of the Corwin in the North Pacific and Arctic Ocean, in 1880, Captain Hooper made another collection of great interest, including a series of fossil bones from Kotzebue Sound.

Mr. Belding, of Stockton, Cal., has furnished some interesting objects from the interior of the State. The most important contributions, however, from the inland portion of the Pacific region have been those supplied by Capt. Charles Bendire, of the First United States Cavalry, an officer the value of whose services in the development of a knowledge of the natural history of the West can scarcely be overestimated. For many years, while stationed at military posts, he has been occupied in securing eggs, nests, and birds, and other objects, and placing the information and material thus gained in the bands of correspondents and scientific specialists throughout the country. This service to science has not involved any interference with his duties as an officer, his military record being a brilliant one. Some months of the year 1880 were occupied by Captain Bendire in the investigations of certain vexed questions connected with the salmonidæ of Oregon and Washington Territory. Leaving with a small party of men he visited numerous localities and brought in a series of fishes, which, when fully examined, will enable us to solve many problems in regard to them. Many other specimens, as birds, &c., were obtained by Captain Bendire and transmitted to Washington.

Arizona has been represented by collections of living reptiles, furnished by Dr. Corson and Dr. Moran, of the United States Army, as also by a series of plants from Colonel Burr.

The contributions from New Mexico have been extremely important, consisting, first, of a series, in 1879, of specimens gathered by Mr. James Stevenson, with the assistance of Mr. Frank H. Cushing; and, secondly,

zona.

of a series gathered by Mr. Stevenson in 1880, assisted by Mr. Galbraith. These explorations were under the immediate direction of Maj. J. W. Powell, in charge of the Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology; their special object being the acquisition of a complete series of objects illustrating the manners and customs of the pueblo towns of New Mexico and AriThe investigation was carried from village to village, and about one-half of the articles have been thoroughly worked up. The collection embraces an immense quantity of pottery, of stone implements, dresses, ornaments, &c. Mr. Hillers, a competent photographer, accompanied both expeditions and obtained a large number of photographs, as also the measurements of various Indian towns, both occupied and abandoned, to serve as materials for a series of models.

Dr. J. C. Merrill, of the United States Army, has sent in a valuable general collection from Fort Shaw and Montana.

Mr. Charles Rusby has also sent in some rare mammals from Wyoming Territory.

The collections from Florida have been very extensive and valuable. These consist, in part, of large numbers of fishes, furnished by Mr. Silas Stearns, of Pensacola, while in the employ of the fishery branch of the United States census and subsequently; and Mr. S. T. Walker, who, in addition to fishes and reptiles, has sent large numbers of objects obtained from the Indian mounds. From Mr. James Bell, of Gainesville, have also been received valuable collection of ethnological objects and of living reptiles, including many specimens of serpents of unusual size, which have served to swell the series of plaster casts exhibited in the National Museum.

The Atlantic coast of Florida and other Southern States is well represented by collections of fishes by Mr. R. E. Earll and Prof. M. McDonald, of the fishery census department. From, or through, Mr. C. C. Leslie, an extensive and well-known fish dealer of Charleston, have also been received many rare and some undescribed species of fishes.

The operations of the United States Fish Commission have furnished a large number of objects from the middle coast of the United States, especially from the line of the Gulf Stream south of New England. Further reference to this will be made under the special head of the Operations of the United States Fish Commission. The receipts through the Commission include, also, large numbers of specimens obtained by the Gloucester fishing fleet, and which is furnished in an alphabetical record of the donors.

The ornithology of the peninsula of Virginia in the vicinity of Cobb's Island has been well investigated by Mr. Robert Ridgway, Mr. Henry Marshall, and Mr. P. Jouy, all connected with the National Museum. Many interesting birds, with their eggs, and of the young in downy plumage, were secured in good condition for mounting.

On the western coast of Mexico, and especially in the Gulf of Cali fornia, Mr. Charles H. Gilbert, after completing his census work on the S. Mis. 31-4