20 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



John JB. Smith, entomologist of the New Jersey Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, was requested by the National Museum to compare the 

 North American Noctuida? in several of the museums of Europe, while 

 visiting that country for purposes of study. In London he studied the 

 British Museum collections, and succeeded in identifying most of the 

 Walker types ami t\\e species described by Guenee. He also made 

 critical comparisons between the collections of Grote, Zeller and 

 Walker. At the museum in the Jardiu des Plantes, Paris, he succeeded 

 in finding many of the insects studied by Guenee and Boisduval, which 

 form, at least in part, the basis of their work on the North American 

 Lepidoptera. At Berlin he examined the collections of the Royal Mu- 

 seum, including material which has been used as the basis of papers on 

 North American species. At Dresden he examined the Standinger 

 collections, and compared long series from the Siberian, Alaskan, Ice 

 landic, and other Arctic fauna! districts. In the course of these studies 

 Professor Smith collected considerable information for publication in the 

 Proceedings of the National Museum, and he also succeeded in obtain- 

 ing from Mr. W. Schaus, jr., who has collected extensively in Mexico 

 and South America, a promise to present to the Museum his collection, 

 which is very large and contains many of the types described in the 

 Biologia Centrali Americana. About 10,500 specimens were added to 

 the collection during the year, the catalogue entries numbering 295. 



MARINE INVERTEBRATES. 



Mr. Richard Pathbun. honorary curator, states that considerable 

 progress has been made during the year in the study of the collections 

 of this department. The accessions of the year show a marked increase 

 both in number and in extent and value. The 1". S. Fish Commission 

 has transferred the collections of the Albatross in the North Pacific 

 Ocean, and important collections made by the Fish Hawk&ncl the Gram- 

 pus have also been received. Some additions have been made to the 

 exhibition series; but little can be done in this direction until more 

 space can be provided. Mr. J. E. Benedict, assistant curator, has con- 

 ducted experimental work with a view to the manufacture of some plas- 

 tic substance suitable for reproductions of soft substances. The prepa- 

 ration of an exhibit representing the families of American marine in- 

 vertebrates for the World's Columbian Exposition has progressed. 

 Mr. Benedict and Miss Pathbun have completed a monograph of the 

 genus Panopeus, and the latter has prepared catalogues of the Peri- 

 ceridce and Maiidw. These will be published in the Proceedings of the 

 U. S. National Museum. The department has received the assistance of 

 several specialists in the determination of recently acquired material. 

 The number of catalogue entries during the year is 1,318. The number 

 of specimens received is 7,120. 



