42 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1915. 



Los Angeles, CaL, for the use of Mr. J. E. Law; and Dr. E. W. 

 Shufeldt. 



Reptiles and hatrachlans. — ^Eeference has already been made to 

 the material received from Dr. W. L. Abbott, the Biological Survey, 

 Mr. A. de C. Sowerby, Mr. John B. Henderson and Mr. J. Zetek. 

 Dr. J. C. Thompson, U. S. Navy, and Mr. H. C. Kellers contributed 

 a large number of specimens from California and Mexico ; and the 

 McMahon Museum at Quetta, Baluchistan, sent 10 specimens of 

 snakes, including several species new to the Museum. A collection 

 from Brownsville, Tex., presented by Mr. E. D. Camp, was par- 

 ticularly interesting in containing representatives of a new species 

 of frog of the genus Syrrhophus ; while another new species, a coral 

 snake from Panama, was a gift from Dr. S. T. Darling, of that 

 place. 



The preservation of the specimens in this division, which are 

 mainly alcoholic, has been systematically attended to, and the col- 

 lection is maintained in excellent condition. A few dry prepara- 

 tions and skulls of turtles were cleaned, and it is hoped in the course 

 of a few years to assemble such a series of skulls illustrating the 

 variations in this order as will permit of an intensive study of the 

 North American testudinata. Progress was made in the card cata- 

 loguing of the collection, though not as much as during the pre- 

 vious year, owing to the fact that the cataloguer was detailed for 

 part of the time to do similar and more urgent work in the division 

 of mammals. 



Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, head curator of biology and also curator 

 of this division, continued, in such time as could be spared from 

 other duties, his studies of North American testudinata and made 

 considerable progress toward a monographic account of the order. 

 Dr. Thomas Barbour, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, con- 

 sulted the collection on several occasions in connection with his 

 studies of West Indian herpetology. Other students who had access 

 to the collection were Prof. A. H. "Wright, of Cornell University; 

 Dr. O. P. Hay, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington ; and Mr. 

 E. E. Dunn, of Haverford College, Pa. Specimens were lent for 

 study to Dr. Thomas Barbour and to Dr. J. C. Thompson, U. S. Navy. 



Fishes. — While the number of specimens transferred by the Bu- 

 reau of Fisheries was smaller than usual, the accessions from that 

 source were nevertheless of much value, including, as they did, 67 

 types chiefly from the Philippine Islands, collected by the steamer 

 Albatross. More than 2,900 specimens obtained on the Tomas Bar- 

 rera expedition to northwestern Cuba, were contributed by Mr. John 

 B. Henderson. The cooperation of the Museum with Dr. Fred Baker 

 in his trip to the Orient resulted in the addition of SiG fishes from 



