28 EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1910. 



arrangement was at once commenced. All of the primates, carniv- 

 ores, ungulates, edentates, marsupials, and monotremes have been 

 placed in order, and at the close of the year it was possible to promptly 

 locate any particular specimen belonging in these groups, or all of the 

 specimens of any of them. The type specimens, of wliich the number 

 is exceedingly large, have been arranged in the bottom tier of cases on 

 the north side of the range where they are most accessible and can be 

 examined under the best conditions as to light. The work of getting 

 the more extensive orders of small mammals, especially the rodents, 

 in proper sequence was also begun, but there are so many of these that, 

 even with what has been accomplished in previous years, some time 

 must still elapse before tliis task can be completed. The rabbits, 

 however, have already been arranged. 



Many boxes which had long been stored in the rented buildings were 

 unpacked, the skins distributed to their proper places in the laboratory 

 and the skulls and skeletons set aside for adding to the osteological 

 collection, which, together with the specimens in alcohol, still remains 

 in the old building. Eighty-five skins were made up and 65 old 

 mounted skins dismounted for addition to the reserve series. Forty- 

 six skeletons and 6,538 skulls were cleaned for study, and 11 skeletons 

 were roughed out preparatory to cleaning. Much work was done in 

 comiection with the mammals from the African expedition, especially 

 in unpadding, inspecting, and cataloguing specmiens, and preparing 

 material for taiming. 



The head curator of the department of biology. Dr. Frederick W. 

 True, completed Ms description of the Museum collection of beaked 

 whales, family Ziphiidse, of which the proof was read before the close 

 of the year. He also identified a large collection of the bones and 

 teeth of mammals from the shell-heaps of Hancock County, Maine, 

 on which subject he has a paper well in progress. The curator of the 

 division, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, jr., practically finished his work on the 

 large European collections mentioned in the last report, and spent 

 considerable time in classif3dng material recently acquired from Java, 

 the Philippine Islands, China, and Africa. Some papers bearing on 

 these studies were published, while others are still in press. Dr. M. 

 W. Lyon, jr., before his resignation to accept a position elsewhere in 

 Washington, had made considerable progress with his report on the 

 Abbott collection of mannnals from Borneo, which he expects soon to 

 finish. Mr. N. Hollister, his successor as assistant curator, besides 

 publishing the three articles mentioned in the bibliography, continued 

 work on a monograph of the muskrats, which he commenced before 

 entering the Museum service. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States 

 Army, studied the cottontail rabbits, of which he described a new 

 form. 



