186 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSLUM. 



many new species and genera have been added to the fauna of North 

 America. 



The curator estimates the number of specimens in his department at 

 65,000, of which 20,000 are on exhibition and 10,000 are duplicates, the 

 remainder being held in the study series. 



VIII. Department of Molluslcs. 



This department continues under the charge of Mr. William H. Dall, 

 as honorary curator, Mr. It. E. C. Stearns having acted during a portion 

 of the year as non-resident assistant curator. The collection has been 

 greatly enriched by the acquisition of Mr. Stearns' cabinet of American 

 mollusks and the very rich collections of J. Gwyn Jeffreys, esq., F. G. S. 

 &c, of London. Lieut. Francis Winslow, U. S. N., who was detailed to 

 duty at the Smithsonian Institution, has rendered important service to 

 this department during the year in developing and classifying the col- 

 lection of oysters and other economic mollusca for the London Fisheries 

 Exhibition, and later in the year assisting in the administration of the 

 general collections. 



It is earnestly recommended that the staff of this department be in- 

 creased by the appointment of at least one person who will be able to 

 give his whole time to the care of the material. As is shown in the an- 

 nual report of the curator, serious damages have resulted every year to 

 some portions of the collections, owing to the lack of constant care, 

 which he, being fully occupied with other duties in a remote part of the 

 city, could not, of course, be expected to give. 



IX. Department of Insects. 



The Museum is still unfortunately without a collection of entomolog- 

 ical specimens worthy of the name, the valuable specimens accumulated 

 by the Government service having years ago suffered destruction in the 

 hands of the entomologists of the Department of Agriculture, with whom 

 they were deposited. Prof. C. V. Riley, who is acting as honorary cura 

 tor of this department, has deposited his extensive cabinet of American 

 insects in the Museum, and it is hoped that in time this may become the 

 property of the United States. In the mean time all possible efforts to 

 keep up a nominal department of insects are being made through the em- 

 ployment for a few months in each year of an assistant to Professor Riley. 



X, XI, XII. Department of Marine Invertebrates. 



The collections of crustaceans, radiates, worms, and protozoans are in 

 charge of Mr. Richard Rathbun, being grouped together under the gen- 

 eral heading of " marine invertebrates." The west hall of the Smith- 

 sonian building has been assigned to this department for exhibition 

 purposes, but is still occupied in large part by property belonging to 

 other departments, so that the curator has had but little opportunity 



