July. The precise locality is not known, but since the fish was 

 received in fresh condition it must have been taken on some of 

 the fishing banks off Charleston. The species is common in 

 West Indian waters and occurs as far north as Florida, but the 

 Museum has no previous record of it off this coast. Other re- 

 cent accessions include two barrels of phosphate fossils donated 

 by Mr. W. L. Miller; a number of Indian relics and phosphate 

 fossils collected by Mr. A. Baron Holmes and presented by Mr. 

 and Mrs. James H. Holmes; a box of fossil plants received from 

 the New York Botanical Garden in exchange; a Golden Pheas- 

 ant presented in the flesh by Mr. W. K. McDowell, and prepared 

 as a skin by Messrs. Burnham and Rhett Chamberlain; and a 

 handsome specimen of the Lacebark tree from Panama, pre- 

 sented by Mr. J. R. Von der Lieth. The last derives its name 

 from the beautifully reticulated structure of the inner bark. 

 The fibres composing this network are remarkably strong and 

 may be spread apart like a delicate lace or braided into cordage. 

 The specimen here described has the form of a whip and illus- 

 trates admirably the properties of the tree. 



Recent additions to the collection of living snakes include a num- 

 ber of Queen Snakes (Tropidonotus leberis), presented by Mr. Elli- 

 son WilUams ; a Keeled-scaled Green Snake {Cyclophus aestivus) . 

 taken by Mr. F. W. Wamsley at the Navy Yard; a King Snake 

 {Ophiholus geiulus), brought to the city in a load of scrap iron 

 from Pon Pon, and presented to the Museum by Mr. C. V. Boy- 

 kin; a young King Snake and a Hog-nosed Snake taken at 

 the Navy Yard by Master William Humme; Brown Snakes 

 presented by Grace Wamsley, Lieze Frampton and Annie 

 Creighton; and Corn Snakes (Coluber gutlatus),' presented by 

 Messrs. Francis Wayne, T. M. Donahue, and F. M. Weston, Jr. 

 The Queen, Keelecl-scaled Green, and Hog-nosed Snakes 

 have not been previously recorch'd in the biological survey of 



54 



