216 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



by Prof. Eugenio Diiges, of Guanajuato, Mexico, consisting of a number 

 of Darned Mexican Ooleoptera, upon which I have made to Professor 

 Duges such report as was possible without examination of foreign col- 

 lections. In this connection I would remark that there is in this country 

 no public collection of any extent of foreign insects. Hence the need of 

 such is very greatly felt, since every specialist is now under the neces- 

 sity of traveling to Europe to study material inaccessible so far in this 

 country. 



A considerable collection, in fair condition, of undetermined exotic 

 Lepidoptera has also been received, but without any indication of its 

 source. 



The chief, and in fact the only, collectiou of insects made within the 

 limits of the United States is that already mentioned, by Mr. L. M. Tur- 

 ner, from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. This collection is very inter- 

 esting, and I have already submitted a full report upon it. 



Under this head I would also mention the fact that Congress has pur- 

 chased the copper plates and manuscript notes of Mr. Townend Glover, 

 and these have been deposited in the Museum, and make a valuable relic 

 of Mr. Glover's industry that can be at any future time used and referred 

 to. The one full set of colored impressions from these plates, which used 

 to hang in the Entomological rooms of the Department of Agriculture, is, 

 however, not to be found among the material turned over to the Museum. 

 This is to be regretted, as this set was of more value than the other plates 

 and notes, and could have been made good use of if placed on exhibition 

 as forming part of an exhibition collection. 



Department of Marine Invertebrates. 

 EiCHARD Eathbun, Curator. 



The principal accessions to this department for 1882, as for the two 

 previous years, were from the United States Fish Commission. Prior 

 to 1880 the extensive marine-invertebrate collections of the Fish Com- 

 mission, which had then been accumulating for nine years, were all 

 stored at the Peabody Museum of Yale College, New Haven, Conn., 

 under the care of Prof. A. E. Yerrill, who, with several associates, was 

 preparing a series of reports ui)ou them. Up to that time sufficient 

 space could not be given to these materials in the Smithsonian build- 

 ing, and it was only after ca'lain of the other collections had been trans- 

 ferred to the National Museum building that the Fish Commission col- 

 lections were ordered sent on. During the past three years, however, a 

 large part of the bulk of these collections has been brought to Wash- 

 ington, and is now available for referenc*e. Very many duplicates 

 have been disposed of to the best i)itercsts of Ihe Museum. In addition 

 to the specimens received through Prof. Venill large quantities of ma- 

 terial have been sent direct to Washington every fall, beginning in 1880, 

 from the summer headquarters of the Fish Commission. During 1880, 



