1908.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 633 



Henry Skinner collection of Lepicloptera, the Vanderpol collection of 

 East Indian birds, the Quadras collection of Philippine Mollusks, all 

 obtained by purchase. Also the Herbst collection of Fungi, presented 

 by Mr. Herbst's estate, and a valuable collection of Central American 

 Coleoptera, presented by Mr. F. D. Godman. A number of interesting 

 mammals were received from the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, 

 including the fine Indian elephant "Bolivar," nearly ten feet in height, 

 which is now being mounted in the taxidermical department. 



Details of work in several departments will be found in the special 

 reports, in addition to which Mr. H. W. Fowler has continued his 

 care of the fishes, and Dr. J. P. Moore of the Annelids, while Miss 

 H. N. Wardle has been engaged upon the arrangement and cataloguing 

 of the ethnological collections. 



The Curators are also indebted to Mr. S. S. Van Pelt for valuable 

 assistance in the herbarium, and to Dr. P. P. Calvert and Mr. E. T. 

 Cresson, Jr., in the Entomological department. 



Many specialists have made use of the collections during the year and 

 specimens have been loaned to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Dr. Charles H. 

 Eigenmann, Samuel N. Rhoads, W. D. W. IMiller and Robert Ridgway. 



An idea of the extent of the Academy's collections at the present 

 time may be gained from the following summary, although some of 

 the figures are necessarily approximate. 



Of Mammals there are 12,416 specimens, of which 2,500 are osteo- 

 logical or alcohoUc preparations, 500 are mounted and the rest skins 

 with skulls prepared separately. The more important individual 

 collections are the S. N. Rhoads collection of North American Mammals 

 and the H. H. Smith collection from southern Brazil. 



The Birds number 59,579 specimens, of which about 9,000 are 

 mounted and 1,075 are osteological preparations. There are also 

 about 2,500 nests and sets of eggs. The notable collections comprise 

 that of Massena, Duke of Rivoli; the John Gould Austrahan collection; 

 the Boys collection of Indian birds; Canon Tristram's collection; 

 the Josiah Hoopes collection of North American birds; the Harrison 

 and Hiller collection from Sumatra; the George L. Harrison collec- 

 tion from British East Africa (on deposit) and the Delaware Valley 

 Ornithological Club local collection. There are about 600 types, mainly 

 of Cassin, Gould, Townsend, Gambel and Audubon. 



The Reptiles and Batrachians amount to 18,000 specimens, the great 

 majority being alcoholic; they comprise among others the E. D. Cope 

 collection and the Arthur Erwin Brown collection and include many 

 types, mainly of Cope and Hallo well. 



