146 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



From Prof. J. M. Laugstou : Corals from Hayti, W. I. 



From Mr. J. M. Bowers : Corals from the Society Islands. 



From the Germany Fishery Commission, tlirough Prof. Karl Mobius: Miscellane- 

 ous collections from the North Sea. 



From Professor Lindstrom : Similar collections from the Baltic Sea. 



From Prof. Charles Liitkeu : Eighty-live species of European annelids. 



From Dr. Gustav Eisen : A collection of European and Californian earth-worms. 



From Mr. Winifred Stearns: Miscellaneous collection from the Coast of Labrador. 



From Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., and Dr. George Hawes: Similar col- 

 lections from Bermuda. 



From Col. N. Pike : Corals, echinoderms, and crustaceans from the Mauritius Islands. 



From Messrs. Henry Hemphill and L. Belding : Similar collections from the coast of 

 California. 



From Captain Dow: Similar collections from Panama. 



From Messrs. McKesson and Eobbins: A large collection of Florida commercial 

 sponges. 



By purchase: A large and fine series of the commercial sponges of the world, 

 exhibited at the Centennial Exposition and identified by Prof. Alpheus Hyatt. 



From Prof. H. L. Smith : 1,275 microscopic slides of foraminifera, from many sources. 



It would be quite impossible to enumerate further the constituent parts of the reserve 

 series without going beyond the proper limits of this report. 



The duplicates still on hand and available for distribution are as follows: Number 

 of species : Crustaceans, 43 ; worms, 19 ; mollusks, 48 ; bryozoans and tunicates, 30 

 radiates, 42; sponges, .'> ; total, 187. Number of specimens: Crustaceans, 24,000 

 worms, 4,000; mollusks, 24,000; bryozoans and tunicates, 6,000; radiates, 16,000 

 sponges, 259 ; total, 74,250. 



The reserve series of specimens is still in qiiite an unfinished state, which makes a 

 report upon it very unsatisfactory. So much material has been received during the 

 past year, and other administrative work, including the distribution of dux^licates, 

 has interfered to such an extent, that in many cases it has been only possible to 

 enter the specimens in the record books and store them for future examination. In 

 reality, more time has been spent upon the reserve series than upon any other collec- 

 tions. The different groups are arranged separately in the storage cases and any 

 specimens desired can be readily found. A portion of the reserve series of alcoholic 

 crustaceans and echinoderms has been stored temporarily in the wall-cases of the main 

 hall of the Smithsonian building; but the bulk of the alcoholics still remain in the 

 east and west basements of the same building. 



In this connection it may be proper to refer to the work now being carried on at 

 New Haven by Prof. A. E. Verrill and Prof. S. I. Smith, on the marine invertebrates 

 collected by the United States Fish Commission on and off" the New England coast. 

 The curator is not kept informed as to the progress of this work, exce^Jting as reports 

 are handed in for publication and finished collections are received for the Museum. 

 An account of the materials so far received from Professors Verrill and Smith has 

 already been given, and a bibliography of their reports published this year will be 

 found below. 



The exhiMtion series. — The work thus far accomplished in the preparation of the 

 exhibition series of invertebrates has been extremely satisfactory, and gives promise 

 that the display of marine invertebrates will bo second to no other i^ the Museum 

 in attractiveness. In the fall of 1881 the west hall of the Smithsonian building, which 

 had been previously occupied by the mineral exhibit and a portion of the pottery 

 received from the Centennial Exposition, was assigned to this department, but as yet 

 only a part of the wall space has been made available for use. This hall, which has 

 a length of 90 feet and a width of 40 feet, is admirably fitted for the exhibition of 

 specimens, and is well lighted. Suitable cases of black walnut cover the walls, to 

 t height of 7i feet, on three sides of the room, the east, south, and west. The empty 



