254 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



lobster-canning establishment ; and a bronze medal and a diploma to 

 Messrs. McKesson & Bobbins of New York, for a collection of Florida 

 sponges. 



The second collection regarding scientific investigations had a direct 

 bearing upon this department only so far as concerns the results of in- 

 vestigations, the methods coming more within the scope of the U. S. 

 Fish Commission. The methods of research were represented by models 

 and plans of American exploring steamers, and by all the modern ap- 

 pliances used by American explorers in investigating the sea and fresh 

 waters, more especially with reference to biological problems. This 

 portion of the collection was mainly supplied by*the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, the U. S. Coast Survey, and Commander Charles D. Sigsbee, 

 U. S. N., and will probably be turned over, in large part, to the National 

 Museum as a permanent exhibit. The results of reseach were repre- 

 sented by oceanic charts and relief maps furnished by the U. S. Coast 

 Survey, the Naval Hydrographic Bureau, and the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion, and by collections of deep-sea invertebrates, fresh water cray-fishes 

 and sponges, marine algae, &c, supplied by the National Museum. To 

 accompany this collection a catalogue of 109 pages was also prepared by 

 the curator, giving a historical sketch of American explorations, and 

 describing in detail the various appliances of research exhibited, with 

 lists of the specimens, and charts illustrating results of investigations. 



Nine awards were made in this section by the jurors of the Fisheries 

 Exhibition, as follows: — Gold medals: To the U. S. Fish Commission, 

 for collective exhibit of apparatus for deep-sea explorations ; to Prof. 

 J. B. Hilgard, for optical densimeter ; to Commander Charles D. Sigs- 

 bee, U. S. N., for deep-sea sounding apparatus ; to Passed- Assistant 

 Engineer W. L. Bailie, IT. S. N., for deep-sea thermometer case. Silver 

 medals: To the D. S. Fish Commission, for exhibit of dredges; to Lieu- 

 tenant-Commander Z. L. Tanner, U. S. N., for deep-sea sounding appa- 

 ratus ; to Prof. W. G. Farlow, for collection of marine algaB. Bronze 

 medal to Mr. Edward Potts, for collection of fresh-water sponges. 

 Diploma to Mr. James E. Benedict, for rake-dredge. 



From April to June, special attention was paid to identifying and 

 classifying the higher Decapod crustaceans, and several other groups 

 of crustaceans, of which the Museum possesses valuable collections from 

 many parts of the world. During the two or three months devoted to 

 this work, only comparatively slight progress could be made, owing 

 to the lack of literature and of type collections for comparison, but it 

 is proposed to continue again upon these and other groups at an early 

 date, with the intention of preparing materials for publication. The 

 following families and genera were examined and placed in complete 

 order, nearly all the species having been identified and transferred to 

 exhibition jars, which are now properly labeled and available for refer- 

 ence: the families, Portunidce, Ocypodidw, Orapsidcc, Porcellanidce, Ra- 

 ninidce, ffippidce, Panuliridce, Squillidce ; and the genera, Cancer, Hyas, 



