52 BEPORT OF I7ATI0NAL MUSEUM, 1921. 



tion, among them Sypheotis, a genus of bustards, and Ptilolaemus, 

 a genus of hornbills. Two rare Australian species new to the collec- 

 tions were generously donated by Capt. S. A. "White, of Fulham, 

 South Australia. The egg collection received a noteworthy addi- 

 tion by the gift of 8,344 eggs and 10 nests from Dr. Theodore W. 

 Richards, United States Navy, from various parts of the world, 

 among them a number of eggs of foreign species not previously 

 present in the Museum. A single egg of the rare tooth-billed or dodo 

 pigeon {Diclunculus strigirostris) of Samoa, donated by Mr. Mason 

 Mitchell, now American consul at Queenstown, Ireland, is particu- 

 larly noteworthy because it is the first egg of this bird to come to 

 the Museum, and thus represents a family, genus, and species new to 

 the national egg collection. 



Reptiles and mnphihiwtis. — The Hoy Australian collections con- 

 tained 118 specimens, including many species new to the collection, 

 and Raven's African material, 205 specimens of almost equal im- 

 portance. The South American herpetological fauna is poorly rep- 

 resented in the national collections, and the specimens from Argen- 

 tina and Paraguay collection of Dr. Alexander Wetmore were 

 therefore very welcome. From China, also poorly represented, 

 small but interesting collections were received from no less than 

 three sources, as follows : Twelve from Suifu, Province of Sze 

 Chuan, through Eev. David C. Graham; 16 from the southwestern 

 part of Hunan Province, collected by Dr. Lewis R. Thompson ; and 

 11 from Che-Kiang, donated by Mr. C. H. Barlow. Mr. C. T. 

 Ramsden, of Guantanamo, Cuba, made the division a very acceptable 

 gift of 24 specimens from that island, mostly representing very rare 

 species. A very interesting addition was presented by the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan, namely, 4 tadpoles of the remarkable discoglossoid 

 toad Ascaphus truei from Washington. 



Fishes. — By far the largest and most important collection of fishes 

 received in many years was transferred to the Museum by the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries. It consists of approximately 100,000 

 specimens, the result of the collecting by the Fisheries steamer 

 Albatross in Philippine waters during the years 1907-1910. It is 

 to be hoped that means may be found to work up within a reason- 

 able time this unrivaled collection, which it has cost the Govern- 

 ment such great efforts and outlay to acquire. The Fisheries Bureau 

 also transferred 7 types and 16 cotypes of malacoj)terygian fishes 

 collected by its schooner GraTnpus, as well as 8,367 specimens from 

 the Potomac River and its tributaries. The Hoy Australian collec- 

 tion contained 52 specimens, including at least one genus, Aracana^ 

 new to the collection. Another Australian collection of 51 speci- 

 mens was obtained in exchange with the Australian Museum in 

 Sydney, containing 8 species new to the National Museum. By 



