40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



men of the everglade kite of Florida, from Mr. George A. Board man. 

 Dr. James C. Merrill, assistant surgeon. United States Army, has con- 

 tributed a large collection of birds and eggs from the Lower Eio Grande, 

 several of them new to science, and others not previously known within 

 the limits of the United States. Mr. Lucien M. Turner and Mr. Nelson, 

 of the United States Signal Service, stationed at Saint Michaels, in 

 Alaska, have also sent in large numbers of the birds of Alaska, includ- 

 ing many very rare skins. 



A series of the birds of Southern Illinois has been received from Mr. 

 Eobert Eidgway. Colonel Brackett and Mr. Hirst have furnished some 

 valuable specimens of birds and eggs from Wyoming. From Lieuten- 

 ant Wheeler and Dr. Hayden have also been received large numbers of 

 specimens collected in the course of their respective surveys. 



The National Museum of Mexico has supplied a large number of species 

 from that country, several of them not before in the collectiou. 



Perhaps the most important contribution of birds is that received from 

 Frederick A. Ober, as the result of the exi)loration he is now making 

 in the West Indies under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 These were principally obtained from the island of Dominica, and con- 

 stitute by far the largest series ever gathered in that island, several rep- 

 resenting new species and others jireviously lacking in the Museum. 

 Mr. Ober is still in the field, and additional contributions from the other 

 AVest India islands are expected. 



The collections of reptiles have consisted in large part of the speci- 

 mens obtained under the direction of Lieutenant Wheeler and Professor 

 Hayden, and transmitted by those officers. The other additions have 

 consisted principally of turtles and snakes, forwarded at the express re- 

 quest of the Institution, to serve as models in the series of plaster casts 

 now in preparation for the Museum. The more important contributors 

 in this line are Mr. S. N. Ferguson, of the large alligator snapper of the 

 Lower Mississippi ; Mr. Kohu, of the turtles in the vicinity of New 

 Orleans 5 Dr. Merrill, of those from the Kio Grande ; Mr. Eichard, of 

 those from Pennsylvania, &c. 



A very large living diamond rattlesnake was obtained through the 

 assistance of Mr. Way, of Sanford, Fla.; and Mr. Frank W. Hey ward, 

 of South Carolina, supplied a number of living specimens of iSiren. 



Of fishes the collections have been very large, embracing, of course, 

 those gathered by the United States Fish Commission during its labors 

 in different portions of the country. The summer's work of the Commis- 

 sion was prosecuted on the coastsof Massachusetts and of Nova Scotia, 

 and in the intermediate seas, extending over the months of July, August, 

 and September. Quite a number of fishes not previously described in 

 the fauna of the country were obtained. Many species in large quan- 

 tities were gathered to serve the purposes of distribution to museums of 

 the United States. 



The collections of marine invertebrates, gathered under the same aus- 



