United States National Museum

Abstract

THE report of the United States National Museum for 1939 is a stimulating document, particularly in the evidence it contains of widespread activities in exploration and field work. No fewer than fifteen expeditions or trips were made, mostly to chosen localities in the United States, but also to regions ranging from the South Pacific Ocean to Alaska and West Greenland, for the collection of data or specimens bearing upon archaeology, anthropology, strati-graphic palaeontology, and animal and plant distribution. Specially noteworthy seem to have been the results of Dr. Hrdlicka's tenth visit to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, where many skeletons and artefacts of a pre-Aleut stock were collected. The educational activities of the Museum, apart from the usual special exhibits, fourteen of which ran almost continuously throughout the year, include an admirable scheme for the allocation of duplicates to schools and other institutions, which benefited to the extent of 3,293 specimens. Exchanges involved the dispersal of 13,362 specimens, and it is gratifying to note that the British Museum (Natural History) was a very active partner in this useful form of scientific cooperation. The catalogues of the various departments now record the collections as containing more than 16 million specimens. The popularity of the exhibited galleries is indicated by the total of 2,233,345 individuals who visited the various Museum buildings, and a glance at the monthly lists shows that the holiday periods of April and August afford welcome opportunities to visitors. The cost of running the Museum during the year was 771,880 dollars.