58 EEPOKT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1913. 



birds, chiefly those collected by himself on the Smithsonian and 

 Frick expeditions. Mr. A. C. Bent, of Taunton, Mass., spent some 

 time at the Museum in examining various North American birds, 

 more particularly the crossbills. 



Members of the staff of the Biological Survey of the Department 

 of Agriculture made constant use of the collection, especially Mr. H. 

 C. Oberholser, who also determined for the Museum several accessions 

 that had recently been received. A large number of ornithologists 

 not connected with the Government likewise visited the division, 

 some of them spending several days in the examination of specimens 

 and books in connection wath their investigations. Among these may 

 be mentioned Dr. Thomas Barbour, of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology; Mr. F. M. Chapman, of the American Museum of Natural 

 History; Mr. C. B. Cory and Prof. S. E. Meek, of the Field Museum 

 of Natural History; Mr. Witmer Stone, of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia; Mr. W. E. Clyde Todd, of the Carnegie 

 Museum; Iklr. Childs Frick, of New York; Mr. C. J. Maynard, of 

 West Newton, Mass.; Dr. L. C. Sanford, of New Haven, Conn.; Mr. 

 H. H. Bailey, of Newport News, Va. ; Mr. Lacy I. Moffett, of Kiang- 

 yin, China; and Mi-. Charles T. Ramsden, of Guantanamo, Cuba. 

 The collection of birds' eggs was consulted by Mi'. Edward Arnold, 

 of Battle Creek, Mch.; Mr. E. J. Court, of Washington; Mr. A. M. 

 Ingersoll, of San Diego, Cal.; and Mr. Geo. H. Stuart, of Philadelphia, 

 Pa. Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, of Washington, examined a number of skel- 

 etons. Specimens were lent for study to several museums and other 

 institutions, as follows: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, the American Museum of Natural History, the Boston Soci- 

 ety of Natural History, the California Academy of Sciences, the Car- 

 negie Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Museum 

 of Comparative Zoology, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the 

 University of California, and the British Museum of Natural History. 



Reptiles and latracTiians. — Besides the reptiles contained in the col- 

 lection received from Mr. Haven, a considerable number of specimens 

 from Borneo were presented by Mr. D. D. Streeter, who, as a tempo- 

 rary collaborator of the Museum, visited that island dm-ing the year. 

 Mr. Arthur deC. Sowerby transmitted material from China; Dr. J. C. 

 Thompson, U. S. Navy, from California; and Dr. J. N. Rose, from 

 the West Indies. Several specimens of the recently described Neoseps 

 reynoldsi from Florida were obtained by ^Mr. N. R. Wood, of the Mu- 

 seum staff; and the type specimens of two new salamanders, de- 

 scribed by "Mr. C. S. Brimley, of Raleigh, N. C, as Plethodon metcalji 

 and Spelerpes ruber schencki, were received from the latter as a gift. 



The collections of the division received the care and attention nec- 

 essary to their preservation, and considerable progress was made in 

 the transfer of specimens to glass-stoppered jars which are better 



