REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 187 



for perfecting the exhibition series. Very extensive progress, however, 

 has been made during the year by the curator, with the assistance of 

 Ensign W. E. Safford, Ensign C. S. McClain, and Mr. li. S. Tarr, in the 

 way of assorting the material already on hand and the distribution of 

 duplicates. A card catalogue of the department is nearly completed, and 

 a number of important exchanges with several European museums have 

 been made during the year, and valuable collections have been received 

 from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., from 

 Prof. H. E. Webster, from Mr. Edward Potts, of Philadelphia, and from 

 Messrs. McKesson & Bobbins, New York. Professor Verrill, who is in 

 charge of the marine research work of the Fish Commission in New 

 England waters, has delivered to the Museum considerable quantities 

 of material, upon which investigations have been completed. Important 

 collections have also been received from the Fish Commission steamer 

 "Albatross." Interesting accessions to this department have been a 

 series of foraminifera from the deep sea, collected by the "Challenger" 

 expedition, and presented by Prof. William B. Carpenter, being the types 

 of his official report. 



Extensive collections of echinoids and crawfishes have been received 

 from the Museum of Comparative Zoology; of mnrine annelids in alcohol 

 from Prof. H. E. Webster ; an exhaustive exhibit of the Florida com- 

 mercial sponges, from McKesson & Bobbins; important accessions from 

 Alaska, obtained by Dr. Stejneger, Lieutenant Kay, and Mr. John Mur- 

 doch; and a series of the edible Crustacea of San Francisco, froin Prof. 

 R. E. C. Stearns. 



XIII. Department of Invertebrate Fossils. 



This department is now divided into two sections, Dr. C. A. White, 

 honorary curator of the department, retaining charge of all except the 

 palaeozoic fossils, which are in the hands of Mr. C. D. Walcott, honorary 

 curator of that department. Both Dr. White and Mr. Walcott are offi- 

 cers of the U. S. Geological Survey, and are devoting themselves almost 

 exclusively to the re-arrangement of these collections for purposes of 

 study and preparation of reports. The two laboratories attached to 

 these departments have been fitted up as thoroughly as possible, and a 

 considerable portion of the specimens are arranged therein. The acces- 

 sions have been of great magnitude, and include the extensive gather- 

 ings of the various exploring parties of the Geological Survey. 



DIVISION OF BOTANY. 



XIV. Department of recent Plants. 



The collections of recent plants, for many years in the custody of 

 Dr. John Torrey, of New York, and afterwards deposited in the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, have been kept in excellent condition by Dr. Vasey, 

 curator of the department. The Museum has recently received a very 



