50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



California coast, made large collections of fishes for the National 

 Museum. Not much else has been received from Mexico beyond some 

 contributions from its National Museum, through the director, Mr. G. 

 Mendosa, and some interesting objects from Prof. A. Duges, of Guan- 

 axuato. 



Previous reports have contained an account of the important services 

 of Mr. P. A. Ober in his natural history explorations in the West Indies. 

 This gentleman has renewed his work in that region in visiting a num- 

 ber of islands previously unexi)lored by him, and in sending the material 

 results to the Institution. The National Museum now, by his assistance, 

 contains by far the most complete collections of the birds of the West 

 Indies in existence. 



Dr. n. H. Nicholls, of Dominica, W. I., has also made some valuable 

 contributions, including a large and undescribed sijecies of parrot, named 

 by Mr. Lawrence Chrysotis nichollsii. The collections from Dr. NichoUs 

 include, also, some very interesting fishes, &c. Prom Mr. L. Guesde 

 has been received a series of excellently painted illustrations of Oarib 

 antiquities in his j)ossession, or accessible to him on the island. These 

 it is proposed to reproduce in a memoir to be published by the Institu- 

 tion. 



Mr. Pidward Newton, colonial secretary of Jamaica, has favored the 

 Institution with several specimens of living boas, to be reproduced in 

 plaster. Professor Poey, the eminent naturalist of Havana, has also 

 sent living reptiles, together with a number of fishes, — types of his elab- 

 orate papers. 



South America is mainly reiiresented by the contributions of Mr. 

 Pigyelmesy, United States consul at Demarara. This collection con- 

 sists of ethnological objects, including a large boat, such as is used by 

 the natives. 



As already stated, the collections from Europe have been principally 

 series of fishes obtained for the most part by Mr. Goode at the Pishery 

 Exposition in Berlin, and furnished in exchange for series of fishes, &c., 

 carried from Washington for the purpose. 



Some desirable specimens of native handiwork from Western Africa 

 have been forwarded by Mr. Smythe, the United States minister at 

 Liberia. 



Haviiig thus given a brief sketch of the principal regions illustrated 

 by the collections transmitted during the year 1880 to the National 

 Museum, a reference to the objects themselves in their systematic order 

 may not be amiss. 



Mention has already been made of a large number of general collec- 

 tions from different localities; that is to say, transmissions embracing 

 more than one particular group of objects. The most imjjortant of these 

 were received from Alaska, Florida, and New Mexico, although many of 

 more or less imi)ortance came from other regions. In later years the col- 

 lections most attractive to visitors in a x^ublic museum have been 



