REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 37 
and a revision of the slow lemurs; by Mr. Knud Andersen, of the 
British Museum, on the bats of the genus 2Ainolophus. 
The Museum collection of bats, which is very extensive and diver- 
sified, has received a great amount of attention. Mr. Miller, who has 
been making a careful study of the entire order Chiroptera, extending 
over several years, recently brought to conclusion a revision of the 
families and genera in a manuscript of 583 pages. He also published 
several papers on nomenclature and new genera. Mr. W. L. Hahn, 
aid, is working up the genus //emzderma, as represented in the Museum, 
and contributed two short papers on bats. Mr. Andersen completed 
and published several papers on the genera PAinolophus and Hippo- 
sideros, based partly on the collections here. 
Dr. F. W. True prepared a full description of the new fossil sea 
lion from Oregon, Pontoleon magnus, for publication by the U.S. 
Geological Survey, and also published a description of a new fossil 
seal from the Miocene of Maryland. In addition, he prepared an 
account of the fossil cetacean known as Agorophius for publication 
by the Smithsonian Institution, and continued work on the ziphioid 
whales and on a new scheme of biological exhibits. 
Doctor Lyon spent some time in bringing up to date a catalog of 
the type specimens of mammals in the Museum collection; he also 
published a note on Prolagus, a genus of rabbits, and discovered that 
the great ant-eater of Central America represents a new species, which 
he described from a Museum specimen. Among those who made use 
of the mammal collection in connection with their investigations were 
Dr. J. A. Allen, of the American Museum of Natural History; Dr. 
D. G. Elliot, of the Field Museum of Natural History, and the mem- 
bers of the staff of the Biological Survey. 
Mr. Robert Ridgway, curator of birds, completed the revision of 
six families of North American birds for his comprehensive work now 
in course of publication; described 18 new genera and 3 new species 
of birds, and made other contributions on the subject of ornithology. 
Dr. C. W. Richmond, assistant curator, added 3,000 cards to the cata- 
log of genera and species of birds, spending some time at the Phila- 
delphia Academy of Sciences for the purpose of consulting publications 
not to be found in Washington. He also continued his work on the 
catalog of type localities of North American birds. The birds col- 
lected in Sumatra and Borneo by Doctor Abbott were placed in the 
hands of Mr. H. C. Oberholser, of the Biological Survey, for study. 
Mr. J. H. Riley, aid in the division of birds, besides assisting Mr. 
Ridgway with his manual, described 3 new Venezuelan species and 
a new ground dove from Porto Rico. The collection of birds was 
consulted by members of the Biological Survey, the committee on 
nomenclature of the American Ornithologists’ Union, and Mr. Outram 
Bangs, of Boston. Several papers based partly on this collection by 
