26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



In addition to the articles already mentioned, a valuable series of the 

 illustrations of the animal and vegetable kingdoms of Guatemala and 

 Salvador were secured from the Government commissioners of those 

 countries to the foreign exhibition held in Boston in the autumn of 

 1883. These, with similar collections under similar auspices obtained 

 from Venezuela and Brazil, were packed up in the early part of the 

 year 1884, under the immediate direction of one of the employes of the 

 National Museum, and transferred to the National Museum at Wash- 

 ington, where they will constitute an important addition to the collec- 

 tion. 



Costa Rica. — As in previous years, Costa Eica has been well repre- 

 sented by the contributions of Mr. J. 0. Zeledon, for many years in the 

 service of the National Museum, his transmissions consisting of speci- 

 mens of medicinal plants, of birds, of vertebrated animals, and of eth- 

 nology. Through his courtesy the National Museum is enriched with 

 an almost complete representation of the mammal and bird fauna of 

 that country. 



Mr. E. Iglesias, of Ohiriqui, has contributed some antiquities and 

 modern pottery. 



Eeference was made in the last report to the large collection of antiq- 

 uities, especially of sepulchral pottery, obtained in Chiriqui by Mr. J. 

 A. McNeil, and secured through Messrs. Lamson & Bros., of New 

 York. An additional collection was made during the year under the 

 same auspices. 



Nicaragua. — Among the most interesting and least known portions of 

 Nicaragua is the central region, between the Upper San Juan and Lake 

 Nicaragua. A short sojourn there has furnished to Mr. C. C. Nutting 

 quite a number of new species of birds. Mr. Nutting's success induced 

 Dr. Walter Van Fleet to arrange for an expedition to that region under 

 the patronage of the Smithsonian Institution. Duly provided with let- 

 ters from the Institution, and with certain arrangements for facilitating 

 his work, Dr. Van Fleet proceeded to Aspinwall; but while waiting the 

 arrival of the steamer from Greytown he was taken ill, and obliged to 

 return to his home in Pennsylvania. He hopes, however, at an early 

 date to renew the experiment. 



South America. — Interesting collections representing the naturalprod- 

 ucts of the animal and vegetable kingdoms of Venezuela and Brazil 

 were secured from the Governments of Venezuela and Brazil. Dr. Will- 

 iam H. Jones, surgeon on the naval vessel stationed on the west coast 

 of Guiana, has contributed some extremely important collections of the 

 antiquities and natural history of the coast of Peru and Chili, and to 

 some extent of the Galapagos Islands. Many of the antiquities are of 

 unusual forms are of great rarity. 



Mr. Kiefer, of Lima, has also made similar contributions. 



