REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 237 



observed that the number of additions has been very large, and a con- 

 siderable amount of time has beeu spent in the care of these accessions. 

 The steamers of the United States Fish Commission have been especi- 

 ally active in adding to the collections, securing to the Museum a vast 

 amouut of material of great value. 



In conjunction with the assistant director, I was engaged for some 

 time in studying and reporting upon the deep-sea fishes collected by the 

 Coast Survey steamer "Blake," in the year 1880. This report was fin- 

 ished and the fishes were returned before rny departure for London. 

 Drawings of the new species were made by Mr. H. L. Todd and exam- 

 ined before the return of the fishes to Mr. Alexander A.gassiz. 



My assistants were employed for several months in the preparation 

 of the bibliography of works relating to the fishes of the Atlantic. A 

 list of the bibliographies prepared is appended. Among other works 

 consulted may be mentioned the Zoological Record, all of the volumes 

 of which were searched for references to Atlantic fishes. 



Late in the month of June I left Washington to join the United States 

 commissioner at the International Fisheries Exhibition in London. 

 During my stay in the latter city I was engaged for a while in the selec- 

 tion of duplicates for the National Museum from the collections of the 

 British Museum. The greater portion of my time, however, was de- 

 voted to the study of fishes in South Kensington and in the exhibits of 

 Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada, Newfoundland, and other countries 

 exhibited in Loudon. A great mass of notes relating to species either 

 similar to or identical with forms occurring in the Western Atlantic was 

 collected and is now in process of elaboration for a final report. 



Through the courtesy of Dr. Murie, Mr. Goode and I were allowed to 

 study a large number of Linne's types of American fishes. The infor- 

 mation thus obtained will enable us to settle numerous doubtful ques- 

 tions as to the nomenclature of some of our species. 



Among the exhibits studied which are of especial interest was a col- 

 lection of the Yega fishes taken by Professor Nordenskiold. As a re- 

 sult of the investigations thus carried on we will be enabled to solve 

 many unsettled problems iu the relationships between the fishes of the 

 two sides of the Atlantic basin. 



Through the means of a special mission to Vienna opportunity was 

 found for studying numerous types of American species belonging to 

 museums in Paris and Berlin, the especial objects of investigation in 

 Paris being types of Cuvier and Valenciennes, and, in Berlin, Pallas's 

 types. The material thus acquired will be utilized iu future reports. 



In Genoa an arrangement was made for an exchange of fishes with 

 the Museo Civico, by which we hope to obtain numerous desiderata of 

 Mediterranean species in return for duplicates from our own collec- 

 tions. Arrangements were made, also, with Dr. Steindachner, in 

 Vienna, for a similar exchange of fishes, Dr. Steindachner having nu- 

 merous fishes from the Mediterranean and elsewhere, which he will give 



