EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 99 



the contents of which were much shifted during the year. The work 

 of dismounting the large number of birds withdrawn from exhibi- 

 tion was continued by contract with very excellent results, and much 

 labor was expended in properly relabeling about 700 birds thus 

 returned to the reserve series. The search for type specimens was 

 also continued, and several were discovered, notably the type of 

 Girard's Icterus audubonl, which had long been considered lost. 



The osteological series was systematically arranged in the cases 

 provided for the purpose, the loose bones were numbered, and the 

 material was partly cleaned. The drawers were temporarily labeled 

 to show the orders and families contained in each, and the skeletons 

 received from the preparators the previous year were catalogued and 

 numbered, but not distributed. About 200 birds' eggs were placed in 

 their cases, but most of the accessions of eggs were left for attention 

 at a future time. 



Part 6 of the great work on the Birds of Xorth and Middle Amer- 

 ica, by Mr. Eobert Ridgway, the curator of the division, was pub- 

 lished on April 8, 1914. In spite of continued ill health, Mr. Ridg- 

 way has also made material progress in the preparation of manu- 

 script for the parts to follow. Several of the orders and higher 

 groups to be included in part T have been elaborated, and the syn- 

 onymy and references for various gi'oups'not only in this, but in 

 subsequent parts as well, have been worked up. On account of the 

 pressure of routine duties Dr. C. W. Richmond, the assistant curator, 

 could give but little time to research work. He saw part 6 of Bul- 

 letin 50 through the press, supplying and verifying references and 

 helping to prepare the index. In these tasks he was assisted by the 

 aid of the division, Mr. J. H. Riley, who was also of much help to 

 Mr. Ridgway in compiling references and measuring specimens. 

 Dr. E. A. Mearns continued his studies of east African birds, with 

 particular reference to the ornithological results of the Smithsonian 

 and Frick expeditions, and he was given special assistance during 

 several months for measuring and cataloguing specimens. Thirty- 

 six new forms were described by him in publications issued during 

 the year. Mr. A. C. Bent, of Taunton, Mass., also made progress 

 with his work on the life histories of Xorth American birds. 



The facilities offered by the division were constantly utilized by 

 the staff of the Biological Survey. Mr. Alex Wetmore exam- 

 ined the skeletons of passerine birds and incidentally aided very 

 materially in rearranging and putting this part of the collection in 

 order. Mr. H. C. Oberholser completed a monograph on the goat- 

 suckers of the genus Chordeiles and a review of the forms of Ento- 

 mothera^ a genus of kingfishers, basing his observations chiefly on 

 Museum material. He also continued his investigations of East 

 Indian birds, largely contributed by Dr. W. L. Abbott. In addi- 



