40 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1897. 



Mearns at such times as the curator could not give personal attention 

 to details. 



Mr. D. W. Prentiss, jr., Las rendered volunteer service while not 

 on the staff of the Museum. 



During the year 1,011 specimens were received, the total number in 

 the collection now beiug 16,223. In the catalogue of the regular series 

 1,011 entries have been made, and in the catalogue reserved for the 

 deposit of the Department of Agriculture there were 10,068 entries dur- 

 ing the year. 



DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS. 



Mr. Robert Ridgway, curator of the department of birds, states that 

 there were 118 permanent accessions during the year, being 32 more 

 than during the preceding year. In addition there were 87 "tempo- 

 rary" accessions, consisting of material received for examination and 

 report. It is especially gratifying to note that several of the accessions 

 contain material new to the collections, and of great value. One collec- 

 tion included 55 species and 3 genera new to the Museum series. The 

 material received from Dr. W. L. Abbott embraced several specimens 

 of s[)ecies hardly represented in the collection. 



The following accessions are worthy of si)eclal notice: 



From Dr. W. L. Abbott, 458 bird skins collected in Lower Siam (gift) ; tlio Bran- 

 icki Musenin, Warsaw, Russia, 152 bird skins from South America and Transcaspia 

 (excbange) ; Albanj^ Museum, Grabamstown, South Africa, 135 bird skins (exchange) ; 

 111 bird skins from Patagonia (purchase); 105 specimens from Madagascar (pur- 

 chase); 60 specimens from West Africa (purchase); 163 specimens from Florida 

 (purchase); from Mr. George 1). Wilder, Peking, Ghina, 53 bird skins from North 

 China (exchange); Hon. W. P. Brownlow, House of Reprcsentatires, Washington, 

 District of Columbia, 49 bird skins from British Guiana (deposit) ; 203 specimens 

 from tropical America (purchase) ; 328 specimens from the United States. (purchase) ; 

 Provincial Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, 97 bird skius from British Columbia 

 (exchange) ; Mr. A. W. Anthony, San Diego, Caliibrnia, 22 bird skins from the islands 

 off Lower California (exchange), also 8 bird skins from the same localities (gift); 

 Albany Museum, Grabamstown, South Africa, 37 bird skins (exchange) ; Australian 

 Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, 25 bird skins from Australia (exchange) ; Dr. 

 E. A. Mearns, U. S. A., 84 bird skins from New York State (gift) ; Mr. E. A. Mcllhcnuy, 

 Avery Island, Louisiana, 26 bird skins from Louisiana (gift); California Academy 

 of Sciences, San Francisco, 12 specimens of Puffin us i/riseits (exchange); Mr. A. Bou- 

 card. Isle of Wight, England, 1 specimen (gift) ; Mr. R. C. McGregor, Palo Alto, Cal- 

 ifornia, 68 bird skius from the western portion of the United States (gift); Dr. 

 Leonhard Stejneger, U. S. National Museum, 18 bird skins from .Japan ; Mr. H. P. Att- 

 water, San Antonio, Texas, II bird skins from Texas (purchase) ; Mr. A. W. Anthony, 

 San Diego, California, 3 types of new species (deposit) ; Dr. E. Coues, Washington, 

 District of Columbia, type of Jiinco danbi/i, Coues (gift); W. B. Jndson, Highland 

 Park, Caliibrnia, type of new Humming-bird (gift) ; Mr. William Palmer, U. S. 

 National Museum, 1 specimen of Oceanodroma cvyptoleacnra from Washington, Dis- 

 trict of Columbia; Mr. Joseph Grinnell, Pasadena, California, 9 specimens, including 

 types oi Pipilo clementa- Grinnell; also 12 specimens of Jays (gift); Science College, 

 Tokyo, Japan, 2 specimens of Petrels (gift) ; Mr. Rollo H. Beck, Berryessa, California, 

 23 specimens (gift) ; 9 bird skius from the Hawaiian Islands (purchase) ; 7 specimens 

 of I'arrot-s (pni-chasc); Eugene Coubeaux. Saskatchewan, Northwest Territory, 

 Canada, 10 bird skius; Mr. R. C. McGregor, Palo Alto, California, 14 specimens (gift) ; 



