18S7.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 11 



labeling the specimens was such as to leave no grounds for excuse in 

 misplacing tliem, each label being distinctly written, in ink, on a piece 

 of stiflt' paper, firmly secured to the specimen by copper wire. When 

 the present curator took charge of this collection, he found very many 

 of these original labels still upon the speciuiens, and in good condition. 



In both of these collections the geuns Madreporawns well represented, 

 but more especially so in that procured by the United States Exi)loring 

 Expedition. The writer has recently made a careful examination of all 

 the specimens in the collection belonging to that genus, identifying such 

 as were without labels and verifying the identifications of the others. 

 Other portions of the collection will soon be gone over in the same man- 

 ner, but it has been deemed advisable to present a list of the species of 

 Madrepora at once, for the benefit of those who maj' desire to refer to 

 that part of the collection, or who have an interest in knowing its ex- 

 tent and present condition. In addition to the specimens received from 

 the two naval expeditious, we have included the three Florida and West 

 Indian species, and also one of recent origin from the South Pacific 

 Ocean. 



tn his " Zoophytes" Professor Dana describes 64 species of Madrepora, 

 54 of which were collected bj the exploring expedition. Of the species 

 in the collection of this expedition 48 were described as new. One of 

 the new species, secunda, was subsequently united by Professor Verrill 

 with nobilis of Dana, and alces of Dana is regarded by Pourtales to be 

 the same as palmata of Lamarck. Dana's deformis (non Michelin) is 

 called JDancv by Yerrill, and his plantaginea (non Lamarck) has been 

 named secale by Studer. This leaves the number of new species de- 

 scribed by Dana as given above, and of this number 40 are still repre- 

 sented by Dana's types (one or more of each) in the collection of the 

 National Museum. Professor Verrill described 6 new species from the 

 collection of the North Pacific Exploring Exi^edition, specimens of all 

 of which are now in the keeping of this Museum. The total number of 

 species in our collection represented by type specimens is, therefore, 52. 



The coral collection made by the British ship Challenger from 1873 

 to 1876 Avas very rich in species of Madrepora, and contained very many 

 of those described by Professor Dana. They have been reported upon 

 during the past year by Mr. John J. Quelch.* 



Since the collections of the United States naval expeditions were ob- 

 tained, comparatively few specimens of Madrepora have been received 

 at the National Museum from other sources than Florida and the West 

 Indies. A small but exceedingly fine lot was donated a few years ago 

 by 3Ir. J. M. Brower, United States consul at the Fiji Islands 5 it was 

 collected at the island of Levuka, and apparently contains several new 



* Report on the reef-corals collected by H. M. S. Cballeuger during the years 1873- 

 '76. By John J. Quelch, B. Sc, Loud., late assistant, British Museum; curator of 

 the British Guiaua Museum, Georgetown, Demerara. The Voyage of H. M. S. Chal- 

 lenger. Zoology, Vol. XVI, Part III, 1SS6. Quarto, 203 pages, 12 plates. 



