SMITHSONIANT INSTITUTION UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM REPORT ON THE PROGRESS AND CONDITION OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1948 itrt w^m|pbr\ UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1949 United States National Museum, Under Direction of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington^ D. G.^ October 15^ 1948, Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith a report upon the present condition of the United States National Museum and upon the work accomplished in its various departments during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1948. Very respectfully, Kemington Kellogg, Director, U. S. National Museum, Dr. A. Wetmore, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Detailed reports on the collections 5 Department of anthropology 5 Department of zoology 17 Department of botany 39 Department of geology 50 Department of engineering and industries 64 Division of history 75 List of accessions 82 List of Museum publications 126 III : REPORT ON THE PROGRESS AND CONDITION OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1948 By Remington Kellogg Director of the United States National Museum INTRODUCTION A TOTAL SUM OF $560,548 was available during the fiscal year 1947-48 for the work of the United States National Museum, this being an allotment from the funds appropriated by Congress to carry on the operations of the Smithsonian Institution and its branches. Of this allotment $43,000 was used for printing and binding, the rest for salaries and expenses incident to the research, curatorial, and exhibi- tory functions of the Museum. Inasmuch as the entire Smithsonian group of buildings is now serviced through one undivided fund, the maintenance, repair, operating, and guarding of Museum buildings no longer come under a separate Museum allotment. The year was marked by a number of important changes in organiza- tion and personnel On July 31, 1947, the department of biology was divided into two departments—zoology and botany—the former division of plants (the National Herbarium) being raised to the status of a full depart- ment. Ellsworth P. Killip, botanist on the Museum staff since 1919, was named head curator of the department of botany, while Dr. Waldo L. Schmitt continued as head curator of the department of zoology.. Three divisions were created in the new department—phanerogams, grasses, and cryptogams—and toward the close of the year a fourth one, the division of ferns, was established, effective July 1, 1948. The division of aeronautics was separated from the department of engineering and industries on July 31, 1947, to become the nucleus of the National Air Museum, established by Congress in 1946 as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution. This change took from the department Paul E. Garber, curator of aeronautics, with 28 years of service in the National Museum, to become curator of the National Air Museum. On March 7, 1948, Carl W. Mitman, head curator of the depart- ment of engineering and industries since 1932 and a member of the National Museum staff since 1914, left the National Museum to become Assistant to the Secretary for the National Air Museum. Frank A. Taylor, curator of engineering since 1932, was appointed head curator of the department on May 3, 1948. During the year Dr. Alexander Wetmore, who since 1945 had been serving in the double capacity as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institu- tion and also as Director of the National Museum, relinquished the latter position. Dr. Wetmore had been in charge of the Museum since 1925. On May 26, 1948, Dr.. Remington Kellogg, curator of the di- vision of mammals, was appointed as the new Director. The year also saw continued progress in building up both the scientific and the subprofessional staff to or surpassing its prewar strength. Although some difficulty was experienced in obtaining trained men for Museum work, reflecting the shortage of scientific personnel the country over, it was possible to fill during the year several key positions that had become vacant. Shortage of clerical and custodial workers was also felt, and because there is considerable turn-over in these groups, it was not always an easy task to keep all positions filled and the operations in the various departments maintained at a smooth-running level. There was little or no improvement during the year in the acute space problem mentioned in previous reports. As has been emphasized, overcrowding of material has reached an impasse, until not only is normal and desirable expansion impossible but also the proper care and protection of existing collections are impaired. New buildings alone will alleviate this situation, and until these are provided it will steadily worsen. Collections.—In all, 533,874 specimens, in 1,811 separate lots, were added to the Museum's collections during the year. These were di- vided among the various departments as follows: Anthropology, 16, 585; zoology, 253,367; botany, 54,292; geology, 107,332; engineer- ing and industries, 22,961 ; history, 79,337. Though considerably less than last year's 757,000 specimens, the total was still better than average. Most of the accessions were acquired as gifts from individ- uals or as transfers from Government departments and agencies. Many also came as a result of participation of staff members on various field expeditions of the Smithsonian Institution, mentioned later in this report. A complete list (by donor) of all accessions re- ceived during the year is given on pages 82 to 125. For examination and report 1,004 lots of material were received, the larger part of which was botanical and geological in nature. Some of this material was returned to the senders, and some that is especially desirable was retained for the Museum's collections. : INTRODUCTION 3 Gifts of duplicates to schools, museums, and other institutions num- bered 18,733. Exchange of duplicate material with other collections amounted to 25,422 specimens, and 1,595 specimens were transferred to other governmental agencies. Loans for scientific study to inves- tigators outside of Washington totaled 73,780 specimens. Forty-four collecting outfits were distributed. The following summary of the collections has been adjusted to re- flect additions to and eliminations from the various series to the end of the fiscal year. Revised estimates of specimens made this year in some departments, in addition to the normal increase, account for the approximately 6,000,000 increase over last year Anthropology 752, 305 Zoology 18, 534, 650 Botany 2, 345, 200 Geology 3, 056, 705 Engineering and industries 164, 493 History 617, 474 Total 25, 470, 827 Library.—Statistics of the growth and use of the Museum library in 1947-48 show no especially noteworthy differences from those of the preceding year. There were 12,185 volumes, pamphlets, and parts of serials recorded as permanent additions to the collections. Publications purchased in- cluded 967 books and 165 periodical subscriptions. All other publi- cations received came in exchange or as gifts. The outstanding gift of the year was the Charles B. Chaney collec- tion of 1,039 books and 471 periodicals on the history of railroads. This important library of source material formed part of the bequest of the late Mr. Chaney to the division of engineering. The collection was received late in the year and has not yet been cataloged. Many other gifts were received from members of the Museum staff and other generous donors. Volumes and pamphlets cataloged were 3,636, mostly currently re- ceived, but also including some older publications, chiefly the reports of State geological surveys, a previously inadequately cataloged col- lection of important material greatly in demand. There were 14,449 cards added to the catalogs and shelf lists. Periodical entries numbered 7,951. There were 8,721 books and periodicals circulated from the Museum library, the main loan desk of which serves also as the interlibrary loan desk for the Institution. Loans of 1,887 publications were made to 93 outside libraries, chiefly to other scientific departments of the Government, to the larger museum libraries in the East, and to colleges and universities throughout the country. 4 KEPORT OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1948 The volumes prepared and sent to the Government Printing Office for binding numbered 500, and 826 books and pamphlets were repaired in the library. Statistics Accessions of cataloged volumes 2, 724 Publications cataloged or recataloged 3,636 Cards added to catalogs and shelf-lists 14, 449 Periodical parts entered 7, 951 New exchanges arranged 162 Volumes sent to the bindery 500 Volumes repaired in the Museum 826 Circulation of books and periodicals, main library 8, 721 Books and periodicals assigned to sectional libraries for intradivisional circulation and filing 4, 228 Publications.—Twenty-four Museum publications were issued dur- ing the year : 1 Annual Keport, 4 Bulletins, 17 Proceedings papers and 2 numbers of the series of Contributions from the United States Na- tional Herbarium. A list of these will be found on page 126. Special mention should be made of Bulletin 193, published in December 1947, comprising a list and index of all publications of the United States National Museum from 1875, when the first Museum Bulletin was is- sued, until the end of 1946. It is the first such list to be published in more than 40 years. It was compiled in the editorial division of the Smithsonian. Also, there was brought to completion, with the publi- cation of Part 5 of Bulletin 185, the catalog proper of Blackwelder's "Checklist of the Coleopterous Insects of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America," which was begun as a wartime project. Only the bibliography and index of this work remain to appear. Another volume of Clark's "Monograph of the Existing Crinoids" (Bulletin 82) appeared in October, and late in the year "An Annotated Checklist and Key to the Amphibia of Mexico" (Bul- letin 194) , by Smith and Taylor, a companion work to these authors' Mexican snake checklist, which appeared in 1945.