REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 29 



Bird skins liave been exciiann^ed with M. jMiliie Edwards,* of the 

 Mnsee d'llistoire Xaturelle, Paris. 



Dr. T. JellVey Parker, Otago University jMuscum, J)unedin, ISIew 

 Zealand, has otlered fishes, and desires American species in return. 

 Nej^otiations are i)endin.i;- for an exchan,2:e of ethnological material with 

 SignorL. Piyorini, director Museo Preistorico-Etnografico, Itome, Italy. 

 A series of textile fabrics (manufactured and raw) has been sent to 

 Count Ito, minister of the Imperial household department, Tokyo, Japan, 

 for the Japanese Government. Four boxes of Japanese porcelains have 

 been received from the Educational Department in Tokyo. An exchange 

 of mammal skins has been effected with Prof. Tycho Tullberg, Upsala, 

 Sweden, and an olfer of birds and marine invertebrates in return for 

 similar material has been made by the National IMuseum. 



Seventeen mammal skins have been received from Dr. C. W. de Vis, 

 director of the Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia. Specimens 

 in exchange are being prepared for shii)ment. Dr. de Vis also offers a 

 foetus and skeleton of dugong in exchange for a manatee. This ofler 

 is now under consideration. Mr. L. Wray, jr., curator of the Perak 

 Government Museum, Perak, Straits Settlements, has offered to present 

 mammals, and to exchange tin-sand and wash-dirt from Perak tin-mines 

 for mineralogical or geological specimens from the United States. 



Extensive exchanges have been arranged with Prof. Fernando Fer- 

 rari Perez, of the Mexican Geographical and Exploring Expedition. 



PUBLICATIOXS. 



The eighth volume of the Proceedings has not yet aj)peared, although 

 the last signature is dated December 7, 1SS5. A list of the signatures 

 of this volume is given in Part iv of this report. 



During the year Bulletins 23, 28, 29 and 30 were issued, and are briefly 

 reviewed here. 



Bulletin 2;5 forms Part ii of " Bibliographies of American Natural- 

 ists," and is. entitled Puijlisiied Writings of Isaac Lea, ll. d., by 

 Newton Pratt Scudder, 8vo., pp. lix + 278. The list of writings is pre- 

 ceded by a biographical sketch. The bibli()grai)hy is arranged chrono- 

 logically. A list of genera and species, discussed and described, is ar- 

 ranged alphabetically ; in addition there is a general index. 



The collections of the National Museum were largely increased by 

 gifts from Dr. Lea's collections, and his writings are based, in large 

 part, upon this and other material belonging to the National Museum. 



Bulletin 28. A Manual of North American Land Shells, by 

 W. G. Binney, 8vo., pp. 528. 



This bulletin is an enlarged edition of a work entitled "The land and 

 Freshwater Shells of North America, Part i," published b}' the Smith- 



* Before completion of thi.s exchange M. Milue Edwards died, and the negotiations 

 were continued with M. Oustalet. 



