30 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1903. 



and yubspccies. Thotograplis of the types are still to be prepared. 

 Doctor Lyon has also pursued investigations on the osteology of the 

 rabbits, and has pu])lished two brief notes on other mammals. The 

 head curator of biology, Dr. Frederick W. True, completed an enten- 

 sive and important monograph on the North American and European 

 species of whalebone whales, his manuscript being su})mitted for pub- 

 lication toward the close of the year. He also prepared papers on 

 Doctor Philippi's species of Chilean porpoises, on a killer whale 

 stranded on the coast of Maine, and on a species of Prodelphinus 

 obtained at Honolulu; and notes on the name of the common porpoise 

 of the genus Tursiops^ and on the occurence of the pollack whale, 

 Balaenoptera horeaUs^ in American waters. 



The second volume of Mr. Robert Ridgway's manual of North and 

 Central American birds, containing 854 pages of text and 22 plates, 

 was issued during the 3'ear. It deals with the families of Tanagers, 

 Troupials, Honey Creepers and Wood Warblers (Tanagridw, lcterida3, 

 Coerebidje and Mniotiltidse), comprising 77 genera and 433 species 

 and subspecies. The preparation of the third volume, covering 15 

 families, is well advanced, about 400 pages being now in type. A 

 paper by Dr. Charles W. Richmond on the birds collected by Doctor 

 Abbott and Mr. C. B. Kloss, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 

 been published, and Doctor Richmond has also spent much time in 

 working up the Abbott collection of birds from the west coast of 

 Sumatra, and a collection from the South Paciiic. He has likewise 

 made considerable pi-ogress with the card catalogue of the genera and 

 species of birds. Dr. William L. Ralph continued the preparation of 

 material for a volume on the life-histories of North American birds 

 with special reference to their nests and eggs, supplemental to the 

 unfinished work of the late Major C. E. Bendire, U. S. Army. 



Dr. Leonhard Stejneger completed his report on the reptiles of 

 Porto Rico and has been engaged in the investigation of the reptile 

 fauna of Eastern Asia. Papers by Doctor Stejneger on Holbrook's 

 salamander and on the reptiles of the Huachuca INlountains, Arizona, 

 were published by the Museum during the year. 



In connection with an extensive work on the Tertiary mollusks 

 of Florida, Dr. W. H. Dall prepared reviews of the recent species of 

 Venerid*, Carditacea, Cyrenacea, and Astartidfe. Mr. Bartscli con- 

 tinued his studies on the Pyramidellida?, which were nearly linished at 

 the close of the year. 



Dr. W. H. Ashmead continued his work upon the classiiication of 

 the Chalcid-flies, which is now in course of printing ])y the Carnegie 

 Museum, and published several papers on the wasps of the groups 

 Vespoidea, Proctotrypoidea, and Cynipoidea. Ho had also in course 

 of preparation monographs on the North American Braconidte and the 

 Japanese Ilymenoptera, and a catalogue of North American Hvme- 



