CATALOGUE OP THE SPECIES OP CORALS BELONGING TO THE 

 GENUS MADREPORA, CONTAINED IN THE UNITED STATES 

 NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



BY RICHARD RATflBlN. 



The U. S. National Museum has been the recipient of two important 

 type collections of corals, which have now been in its possession for 

 many years. The first of these was obtained by tlie United States 

 Exploring Expedition around the world, from 1838 to 1842, under com- 

 mand of Capt. Charles Wilkes, U. S. N., and the second by the North 

 Pacific Exploring ExpeJition from 1853 to 1856, under command of 

 Capts. C. Ringgold and John Eodgers, both of the U. S. Navy. The 

 collection of corals made by the former expedition was especially large 

 pnd fine, and formed the basis of Professor Dana's classical monograph,* 

 the most important and comprehensive work on corals that had been 

 published up to that time. Professor Dana was a member of the civil- 

 ian scientific staff of the exi^edition, and thus had an opportunity of 

 examining in their natural state the objects which he was destined 

 to bring so prominently to the attention of naturalists. His observa- 

 tions on the living animals of many species are of great interest and 

 add much to the value of his report. 



The Anthozoa of the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, of which 

 the late Dr. William Stimpson was naturalist, were referred to Prof. A. 

 E. Yerrill, then of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, at Harvard 

 College, and his results were published in several numbers of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Essex Institute, of Salem, Mass.t 



The coral collection of the United States Exploring Expedition did 

 not come into the possession of the National Museum until some years 

 after it had been returned lo the Government by Professor Dana, and 

 in that interval it suffered greatly from the loss of specimens, the in- 

 jury of delicate species, and the misplacement of labels. The original 

 catalogue of the corals is not known to be in existence at the present 

 time, and there is no way of ascertaining the actual loss, but it amounted 

 to a large proportion of the specimens. Many specimens were lent to 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology, when Professor Verrill -was an 

 assistant there, and these received the benefit of a careful revision at 

 his hands. The same naturalist also visited the National Museum and 

 replaced a number of the missing labels. Professor Dana's method of 



'United States Exploring Expedition, during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 

 under the command of Charles Wilkes, U. S. X., Vol. VII. — Zoophytes. By James D. 

 Dana, A. M., Geologist of the Expedition. Quarto, 740 pp., and one folio atlas of 61 

 plutes. Philadelphia: Printed by C. Sherman, 1846. 



t Corals and Polyps of the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, with descriptions 

 of other Pacific Ocean species. By A. E. Verrill. Proc. Essex Institute, Vols. IV and 

 V; April, 1865, to July, 1866. 

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