256 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



L. A. Lee, of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me., and the Annelida were 

 retained on the steamer "Albatross" for examination by Mr. Benedict. 

 About forty boxes of invertebrate materials were brought directly to the 

 National Museum. Their character has already been discussed under 

 accessions. 



Since the return from Wood's Holl, the Fish Commission collections 

 have been unpacked, and a large collection brought to Washington by 

 the steamer "Albatross," on her last trip from Wood's Holl, has been 

 sorted, catalogued, and, in large part, sent to New Haven. In Decem- 

 ber, the work of entirely revising the invertebrate collections of the 

 department, and of arranging the catalogue cards in systematic order, 

 was begun. This will occupy several months, and when completed will 

 enable one to obtain any species or specimens in the department with- 

 out loss of time. 



Assistants. 



In the routine work of the Museum I have been assisted during the 

 year by Mr. B. S. Tarr and Mr. George Weld; Ensign W. E. Safford, U. 

 S. N., also acted as an assistant in the department from January until 

 July. All of these assistants were stationed at Wood's Holl, Mass., 

 during the summer explorations of the U. S. Fish Commission, and since 

 their close Mr. Safford has remained at New Haven, Conn., aiding Pro- 

 fessor Verrill in the examination of the Fish Commission collections. 

 Mr. Tarr has been mainly occupied in preparing the duplicate materials 

 for distribution, in arranging the collection of star-fishes, and in gen- 

 eral sorting and cataloguing. Mr. Weld has assisted him in this work. 

 Mr. Safford's time, during the winter and spring, was devoted to sort- 

 ing, cataloguing, and identifying collections of mollusca, and during the 

 summer, to figuring small species of mollusca obtained by the Fish Com- 

 mission, and in sorting. Mr. James E. Benedict, in the intervals in 

 which the steamer "Albatross" has remained in port at Washington, 

 has devoted much time to classifying and studying the annelid collec- 

 tions of the National Museum. After the return of the "Albatross" to 

 Washington, in November, Mr. Sanderson Smith remained at the Mu- 

 seum about a month, completing his work upon the collection of mol- 

 lusks, made on the last trip of that steamer. Ensign C. S. McClain, U. 

 S. N., reported to this department in December for duty, and is now 

 aiding me in the revision of the collections. Mr. E. H. Hawley has, 

 during the year, mounted for exhibition a number of specimens of ma- 

 rine invertebrates, principally crustaceans, corals, and sponges. But 

 want of time has prevented the curator from selecting much material for 

 that purpose. 



Work upon collections by specialists outside of the Museum. 



The Hon. Theodore Lyman, member of Congress from Massachusetts, 

 the well-known authority on the group of Ophiuroidea, has kindly 



