S. Mis. 53. 57 



{h.J PRESENT CONDITION OF THE COLLECTIONS. 



During the year as much progress lias been made in tb(; final deter- 

 mination and arrangement of the specimens as the press of other occupa- 

 tions would allow. Those in alcohol tiave been kept in proper condi- 

 tion, and such dried skins have been baked as needed this process as a 

 preservative against the attacks of insects. A number of mammals, 

 preserved in alcohol, have been dried lor the purpose of ascertaining 

 accurately their specific character. The unfinished state of the mu- 

 seum apartment renders it necessary to confine the collections in as 

 small space as possible, none but basement rooms being available. 

 The labor of labelling the specimens is greatly increased by the fact 

 that man}?- of the species are undescribed. In illustration of this I may 

 state, that in the single department of the serpents, the Institution 

 possesses more than twice as many North American species as are 

 given in the great work of Dr. Hoibrook. To render this mass ot 

 matter immediately available to science, the preparation of catalogues 

 has been commenced, similar to those of the British Museum and the 

 Museum of Natural History in Paris. In these, lull descriptions of the 

 genera and species will be given, and such known species as may not 

 have been received by the Institution will be inserted in an appendix. 

 Each volume will thus constitute a complete manual of a portion of 

 the natural history of North America. The first of these catalogues — 

 that of the serpents — is in press, and will very shortly be finished. 



(c.) SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGES. 



A great many applications have been made to the Institution, by 

 parties at home and abroad, for information or assistance in making 

 exchanges of specimens of natural history. Such help is always cheer- 

 fully rendered, and some important relationships have been thus estab- 

 lished. Some of the gentlemen who have made these applications are 

 d{S follows : 



Christian Drewsen, Copenhagen, desires to exchange North Euro- 

 pean and Algerian Coleojitcra for ColeniHera, Lc^ndoplcra, and Ilcnuj^ittra, 

 of North America. 



Fkiedkich Sturm, Niirnberg, and Adolph Senoner, Vienna, wish 

 American ferns in exchange for European. 



Dr. G. Von dem Busch, Bremen, wants North American shells, 

 especially Mehmue, in exchange for European. 



I'rof H. K. CoppERT, Breslau, director of the botanic garden, wants 

 seeds of all plants common to Europe and America, as an auxiliary to 

 certain investigations upon the influence of climatological conditions 

 upon vegetation. 



B. Cazenirvette, Rue Pelegrin, and Dumoulin, aine, S Place de 

 la Bourse, Bordeaux, desire North American fresh-water and land shells 

 in exchange for European. 



Dr. Francesco Lanza, of Spalato, in Dalmatia, desires to exchange 

 fossils, minerals, reptiles, shells, plants, &c., of Dalmatia, and the 

 Adriatic, for crystallized minerals and shells from North America. 



