30 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1906, 
represented by a splendid collection, the fruit pigeons, and specimens 
of some other groups, which had been scattered in different places, 
were brought together in glass-covered drawers placed on top of the 
tier of storage cases in the crowded laboratory. The recent very 
large accessions from the Bureau of Fisheries made necessary the 
construction of a large amount of additional shelving in the basement 
storage rooms of the division of fishes. Some 12,000 specimens of 
fishes were cataloged, and many of these were put in final shape and 
given their appropriate places in the systematically arranged series, 
special attention being paid to types and other unusually important 
specimens. 
In the division of mollusks, 7,500 lots of specimens were cataloged. 
Good progress was made toward placing the large Jeffrey’s collection, 
mainly of British shells, in final museum shape. The identification of 
all the species is being verified, and the duplicates are being separated 
from the reserve specimens. The rearrangement of the American land 
shells, especially from Mexico and Central America, was continued, 
and that of the families Doliide and Cassididz was completed. The 
cataloging of the named specimens of crustaceans, echinoderms, 
hydroids, bryozoans, alcyonarian and stony corals, and annelids in 
the division of marine invertebrates was brought up to date, and the 
extensive collection of echinoderms was rearranged, permitting the 
recent additions in that group to be assigned their appropriate places. 
A very large amount of work was accomplished in identifying and 
rearranging specimens in the division of insects. To accommodate 
the Schaus collection of Lepidoptera it was necessary to screen off a 
corner of the exhibition hall devoted to fishes and reptiles. This tem- 
porary laboratory has been fitted up with iron stacks to hold the 
insect drawers, an initial step toward securing better fire protection 
for the invaluable collections of this division. As in previous years, 
the larger number of workers in this division were assistants of the 
Bureau of Entomology of the U. S$. Department of Agriculture. 
In the division of comparative anatomy the entire collection of 
cetacean skeletons and skulls (except those of the whalebone whales) 
was assembled and systematically arranged in the storage compart- 
ments under the exhibition cases in the southeast range, after being 
cleaned and cataloged. The fish skeletons and skulls, numbering 
about 1,500, were treated in a similar manner. 
The capacity of the storage cases in the division of plants was 
increased by about 200 compartments, making the total number now 
in use above 10,000. The herbarium is reported to be nearly free of 
pests, and continuous efforts are made to prevent their gaining a foot- 
hold. During the year 17,189 sheets of plants were stamped and 
placed in the regular series, which now contains 385,260 sheets. The 
number of plants mounted was 10,577. The work of rearranging the 
