Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
The Technical Exhibit.

one is in the midst of the technical exhibit
of the museum. Here. as everywhere. is
seen the hand of Professor Holmes, who
was curator of the museum until he was
called to be the head of the bureau of eth
nology. The technology exhibit commences
with the evolution of the knife. spoon and
fork and carries each implement from the
hone and shell stage up to the present time
1t would be impossible to go into detail over
this collection. but 1t includes almost every
thing from musical instrument to steam
engine.
Leading off from the gallery on the north
side one is in the section of graphic art
where the artist may find more satisfaction
in a good many ways than in regular art
gallery.
1t is true that for the artist the Corcoran
Gallery has a great collection of painting
and statuary, for the man interested in
etchings and engravings and original
sketches the Congressional Library has an
almost matchlesS collection, but the section
of graphic art of the National Museum has
every development of art, from scratchings
on bone to picture posters. If you are IN
terested in art. go to that section and stay
there.
Just off the graphic arts department on
the eastern side there is the naval exhibit
and here there is shown every means of
water transportation. from the hollow log
canoe of the Alaska Indian to the modern
ocean greyhound. The museum was some
time ago promised the models of battleships
and cruisers from the Navy Department,
and it is possible that they may yet be add
ed to this exhibit, but that has not been
done yet.
Exhibit of Paleontology.
To the south of what is known the
great east hall the student of paleontology
may find everything that is included in that
branch of science. There are fossils from
the earliest epochs. fianked on the one side
by a roomful of reptiles and fishes, all cast
from life and colored as in nature, and on
the other by the department of comparative
anatomy where there are skeletons of every
sort, from a human being to megatharium.
Some of the snake skeletons in this depart
ment are among the most Deautiful pieces
of work to be found in any museum. The
section is casually known among the mu-
scum employees 1.-The bone yard, but IL Is
one of the most beautiful collections OF us
sort In existence. and the student or COM
parative anatomy, skeleton mounting or
evolution could put In his two hours here
and look at nothing else.
This covers just half OF the museum
The Hall Of Mammals.
Turning to the west side one is in the
big south hall that corresponds to the sec
ton of American history. where one first
enters This section for the time being Is
In confusion, and the hall Is roped off from
ordinary visitors. while the naturalists
mount the cast OF the big eighty-two-Ioot
whale that was obtained from the Arctic
ocean two seasons ago. The section is de-
voted in ordinary times to the collection Of
mammals. 1t is the place where the chill
dren usually like to go, and where there
are some of the finest specimens of tax
| idermy in the world. There are individual
pieces in the Museum of Natural History
in New York and in the great museum Of
st. Petersburg that are the equal of the
best work In the National Museums collec
ton, but the museum devotes only one sec
ton to it's mammal exhibit, and the other
places named are devoted exclusively to
this class of work.
There is everything In the mammal line
from the original big group of bufaloes
that Hornaday shot and mounted to the
coyote of the west with the pups of the
family fighting over a bone II is intended,
when this collection is settled again. to
place the mammals in their geographical
order and thus give comprehensive view
OF the fauna of the western hemisphere.
Systematic Geology.
West of the mammal hall Is the section
of systematic geology. and here any one
who is interested in the production of the
various states can find each state with its
products conveniently set apart. There are
stalactites and stalagmites. sections of the