REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 79 



Museum report on the subject the following description Las been ob- 

 tained : 



It was intended that the entire existing mammalian fauna of North America from 

 the Isthmus of Panama northward should be exhibited species by species, both 

 1 y skins or casts and skeletons, and that some of th6 more important extinct fauna 

 should be restored. This plan necessarily suffered much moditication after a short 

 time, when it was found that neither money, time, nor materials sufficient to assemble 

 such a collection before the opening of the exposition, were at command. 



With the intention, however, of having every important species represented, the 

 curator visited the establishments of all the principal dealers in natural history ma- 

 terial, and the collection of duplicates in the Museum was also drawn upon very 

 largely. It was found that only a very small number of species were anywhere on 

 sale, and that the Museum must rely upon its own resources. This it was able to do 

 to a very considerable extent, although it was found necessary to withdraw some 

 mounted specimens from the regular exhibition series ; a proceeding which the cura- 

 tor carried out with great reluctance. 



Tim total number of specimens exhibited was one huadred and sixty, repiesenting 

 one hundred and fifty siJecies and varieties. The series includes all the North Amer- 

 ican ruuunants except the musk-ox ; all the important carnivores, both aquatic and 

 terrestrial (especially the fur-bearing family, Musteliim) ; all the native beneficial or 

 noxious rodents; representative species of porpoises; the manatees; and the more 

 characteristic monkeys, sloths, bats, and insectivores. In addition, a series inteading 

 to represent all the orders of the class mammalia was prepared. 



The collection was exhibited in four largo cases, except the ruminants, for which 

 a separate large terraced stand was provided. The first case contained the cats, dogs, 

 bears, etc. ; the second, the seals and whales ; the third, the monkeys, weasels, bats, 

 and insectivores, and the first group of rodents, the endeutates and opossums, and 

 the series representing the orders of mammalia. The large terraced stand, as already 

 stated, supported only the ruminants. 



It will be observed that this collection, although considerably snaaller in point of 

 number of specimens than that exhibited at the Centennial Exposition, still con- 

 tained representatives of almost the same number of species. 



In addition to the specimens already mentioned, another email series was sent to 

 New Orleans, representing the character of work done in connection with the depart- 

 ment of osteology. It was at first intended that the difterent species of animals should 

 be represented by skeletons as well as by mounted skins, but this plan was in the end 

 found impracticable and was finally abandoned. 



Mr. William T. Horuaday, chief taxidermist of the National Museum, 

 visired Kew Orleans for the purpose of unpacking and installing this 

 collection. 



THE BIRD EXHIBIT. 



Mr. Robert Ridgway, curator of the department of birds, was charged 

 with the collection and preparation of the material for this exhibit. It 

 consisted largely of specimens selected by him from the duplicates of 

 the collections under his charge, these being finely mounted with a 

 view to their display at the exposition. From Mr. Ridgway's report on 

 these collections the following description is obtained: 



The department of birds prepared for exhibition at the New Orleans Exposition a 

 collection of North American game birds numbering one hundred and sixty-three 

 finely mounted specimens, and representing nearly all the species. The exhibit was 

 at first intended to be much more comprehensive, the original plan being to exhibit 



