REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39 



the work aoue by the parties sent out for exploration by the Bureau of 

 Ethnology. This policy, although more thoroughly carried out than 

 has been practicable hitherto, dates back to the jearly history of the 

 Museum. Certain monographic collections of this sort have been on 

 exhibition since 1870 or longer. 



Dr. Eau is engaged upon the preparation of an illustrated work on 

 North American prehistoric objects, which is designed to serve as a 

 guide for visitors to the department and as an exjilanation of the termi- 

 nology of North American archreology. This will bear the title, "A 

 Classification of the North American Prehistoric Relics in the United 

 States National Museum." This book will be fully illustrated and it is 

 hoped will be published in the ensuing year. 



IV. Bepar'tmcnt of Mammals. — The most important accessions to this 

 department in this, as in x)revious years, have been in the shape of single 

 specimens sent from zoological gardens and menageries, which have 

 shown a great deal of liberality to the Museum in this respect. 



The administrative work of the department has been directed chiefly 

 to the preparation for an entire rearrangement of the exhibition series, 

 when the promised new cases shall have been comiileted. Many of the 

 most valuable specimens in the mounted series are of such a large size 

 that it has not hitherto been practicable to inclose them under glass or 

 to protect them from mutilation. The larger laboratory rooms into 

 which the department moved just before the beginning of the year 

 have been utilized for an entire rearrangement of the collection which 

 hitherto has been stored in the bases of the cases in the exhibition hall. 

 The entire collection has been carefully studied and identified with.the 

 exception of the Soricidcc, and good progress was made in the prepara- 

 tion of the card catalogue of the collection. 



The curator, Mr. F.^W. True, has in progress extensive investigations 

 on American cetaceans, and is at present engaged upon a revision of 

 the dolphins of the world. During the yearhe visited various points 

 on the coast of North Carolina, in behalf of the Fisli Commission, to se- 

 cure material for his work. A report was prepared during the year upon 

 the uiammals collected by E. W. Nelson and C. L. McKay in Alaska. 



V (A). Department of Birds. — The growth of the department during 

 the year has been very satisfactory, the number of specimens added to 

 the collection being 4,147. The largest single accession was the collec- 

 tion made by the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross in the 

 Bahamas, of 1,000 specimens and about 75 species, of which 5 were new 

 to science. Another valuable collection, 243 specimens, 81 species,! 

 new to the fauna of North America, was obtained in Alaska by Mr. 

 Charles H. Townsend while on a mission for the Fish Commission. Mr. 

 Henry Seebohm, of London, has given to the Museum 171 specimens, 

 68 species, chiefly from Siberia, and of great value to the collections. 



