REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1909. 39 



work made possible by the recent extensive studies and collecting- 

 expeditions in Europe of Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, jr., now the curator of 

 the division. Some additional work was done toward rearranging the 

 general collection of rats and mice, and also of squirrels. Some 4,200 

 skulls, of which about 900 were large or of medium size, were cleaned 

 during the year. There remain, however, a very large number of 

 skulls, received in earlier years, in a more or less unsatisfactory con- 

 dition as regards preparation, which require treatment to free them 

 from grease, dirt, etc. Forty-eight large skins were dressed and 

 folded for preservation and 92 made up for the same purpose. 



Much scientific work was conducted during the year. JNIention 

 should especially be made of the catalogue of type specimens of mam- 

 mals, including those in the Biological Survey collection, by Messrs. 

 Lyon and Osgood, which has been published. It makes a volume of 

 325 pages and contains extensive data regarding each type. Other 

 papers on mammals, to the extent of 1,8G0 pages, with numerous 

 plates, were issued. The mammals collected in southern Borneo by 

 Dr. W. L. Abbott, and recently presented by him to the jVIuseum, 

 have been studied by Dr. M. AV. Lyon, jr., assistant curator, who has 

 an annotated catalogue of them partly finished. Two types of Ameri- 

 can species and a dozen other specimens were lent to Dr. J. A. Allen, 

 of the American Museum of Natural History, for comparison. A few 

 other loans were made for similar purposes. The naturalists of the 

 Biological Survey made free use of the collections, as in past years. 

 Dr. F. W. True continued investigations of American fossil cetaceans 

 and published several papers relating to them. 



Birds. — The birds obtained on the Museum-Zeleclon expedition to 

 Costa Rica, mentioned in the report of last year, were not received 

 in "Washington until after July 1, 1908. They consisted of 1,G30 speci- 

 mens of humming birds, flycatchers, tanagers, etc., including many 

 rarities and the types of two new species. A part of this material 

 was from the Dota Mountain region, which has seldom been visited 

 by naturalists, and was prepared by Mr. Basulto, at the request of 

 Mr. Zeledon, after the return of Mr. Ridgway. A collection of 261 

 specimens of Philippine birds was received in exchange from the 

 Bureau of Science at Manila, and 165 species, including 5 types, from 

 the same islands were contributed by Dr. E. A. Mearns, U. S. Army. 

 About 60 Abyssinian birds, the first received from that country, were 

 presented by Lady A. McM. Harrington, From Mr. Outram Bangs, 

 of Boston, there was obtained, partly as a gift and partly by exchange, 

 a series of 172 birds from Costa Rica and Jamaica, including a speci- 

 men of the rare Laletes oshurni and other species not previously well 

 represented in the Museum. Three birds from Darien were donated 

 by Mr. R, S. Williams, of New York. A collection of 66 East Indian 

 birds was received in exchange from the Selangor State Museum, and 



