38 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1915. 



and Manchuria contain specimens of unusual interest, such as a new 

 squirrel of a genus not hitherto known from that part of China, and 

 a very large bear belonging to a group quite distinct from the com- 

 mon brown bear of the Old World. The following rarities filling 

 gaps in the exhibition series were acquired by purchase, namely, a 

 skeleton of the gray whale, another of the aye-aye from Madagascar, 

 and a specimen of Hyomys meehi, a large and little known rat pecu- 

 liar to New Guinea. 



The tanning of large skins by contract has kept pace with the needs 

 of the division, 35 having been finished while work on 54 others was in 

 progress at the close of the year. The division taxidermist made up 

 or renovated over 360 smaller skins for the reserve series. Thirty- 

 eight skeletons and T26 skulls were cleaned by Museum preparators, 

 and 197 large and 3,850 small skulls by contract. The classified ar- 

 rangement of skeletons and skulls of large mammals in the attic has 

 progressed as rapidly as storage cases have been provided. During 

 the year the families Cervida? and Antilocapridae were gone over with 

 the result that all the ungulate mammals, except the Bovida?, have 

 now been provisionally sorted and placed under cover, and a pre- 

 liminary separation by subfamilies of skulls and bones of the latter 

 family has been made. Forty-two quarter-unit cases were installed 

 for this work in place of the discarded stacks released for use else- 

 where, but approximately 100 additional cases are still required for 

 continuing the arrangement of large skulls and skeletons for which 

 no provision now exists. A rearrangement of the collection of alco- 

 holic mammals, in conformity with the system adopted in the division . 

 of reptiles, was begun. It involves the marking of each container 

 and the writing of two catalogue cards for each. 



The study series of cetaceans remains in the same condition as at 

 the time of Dr. F. W. True's death. Although it is realized that it 

 should be examined and stored in a more satisfactory manner than 

 at present, it has been considered unwise to disturb it until the serv- 

 ices of some competent specialist in this important branch can be 

 secured. 



In addition to the investigations indicated in the bibliography at 

 the end of this report, the curator of the division, Mr. Gerrit S. 

 Miller, jr., in conjunction with Mr. J. W. Gidley, has undertaken a 

 very important rearrangement of the families of rodents, including 

 the fossil members of the grouf). He has also in hand a monograph 

 of the American bats of the genus Myotk, and has recently begun a 

 critical study of certain recent and fossil great apes and Hominidse, 

 which promises very interesting results. The assistant curator, Mr. 

 N. Hollister, finished a monograph of the prairie dogs and a re- 

 vision of the genera of Procyonida^, both of which are in press. Mr. 



