1896.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 587 



These specimens aggregated 3,192, and all of them have been care- 

 fully labeled. Besides the 7,386 specimens entered on the rough 

 catalogue, 1,980 entries have been copied into the permanent cata- 

 logue. 



The groups catalogued during the year comprised all the remain- 

 ing families of the Picon Passeres, except the Trochilidse, together 

 with the Picarise and Scan sores. The exhibition series of all these 

 families has been remounted except the Coccyges, Psittaci and 

 Trochili, so that it will be an easy matter to complete the renova- 

 tion of the ornithological collection during the ensuing year. 



Owing to the liberality of friends of the Academy, we have been 

 enabled to procure nineteen air-tight cases for the reception of the 

 study series of skins similar to those already in use. This has en- 

 abled us to arrange almost all the unmounted specimens in syste- 

 matic order in the Section-room where they are easily accessible to 

 the student. 



The exhibition series of Passeres, Picarise, etc., has been arranged 

 in order in the large cases in the middle of the ornithological gallery 

 following the Rapacious birds, thus entirely clearing the wall cases, 

 except a few duplicate specimens which are placed there temporarily 

 until they can be unmounted. 



The additions to the collection during the year, while not as great 

 numerically as those of the previous year, comprise some exceed- 

 ingly valuable collections containing many species not before repre- 

 sented. 



The most important of these are the Donaldson Smith Collection 

 of African birds from Somali-land, containing duplicates of many of 

 the new species discovered by Dr. Smith, and the collection of 

 Alaskan and Siberian birds obtained by Dr. Benj. Sharp, which 

 well supplements the five series of the Arctic birds from the north 

 Atlantic already in the Academy's collection. Other noteworthy 

 accessions were a collection of British Guiana birds obtained through 

 Mr. Russell, and a small collection from Nova Scotia presented by 

 Mr. Robt. T. Young. 



The general condition of the collection is excellent, and the in- 

 creased facilities for study offered by the new arrangement have been 

 taken advantage of by a number of students, while specimens have 

 been loaned to specialists in various other institutions. 



The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club has held its meetings 

 regularly at the Academy, and aided materially in keeping up a 

 lively interest in the Ornithological Department, The collection 



