REPORT OF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



87 



Sirenia 1 



Marsupialia 14 



Total 312 



American bison were repaired, poisoned, placed on new shields, and 

 installed in the department of mammals; six monnted heads of mam- 

 mals were overhauled and boxed for shipment; a number of casts of 

 an Assyrian cylinder seal were made; several mounted heads on the 

 south wall of the exhibition hall devoted to the department of mammals 

 were taken down, cleaned, and rehung. 



The following statement shows the number of skins on hand June 

 30, 1897: 



Primates 7 



Carnivora 149 



Uugtilata 104 



Chiioptera 5 



Rodeutia 32 



In the department of birds the work of the preceding years — that of 

 renovating the entire series of mounted birds — was continued. A 

 number of specimens received in the tlesh were cleaned and prepared, 

 other skins were poisoned, and a few improperly made specimens were 

 remade. A limited number of mounted specimens were transferred to 

 modern stands and a few mounted specimens were made up for the 

 study series. The Museum specimen of the extinct Philips Island 

 parrot was remounted. A series of 49 specimens of birds from British 

 Guiana and about 35 parrots were mounted for the Tennessee Centen- 

 nial Exposition. A group of 3 Argus pheasants was mounted and 

 nearly completed. 



OSTEOLOGISTS. 



Considerable time has been spent in cleaning fishes and the contents 

 of the stomachs of seals, the synoptic series has received attention, and 

 a number of casts of brains have been made. Many vertebrate fossils 

 have been mounted and repaired. Material was prepared, mounted, 

 and boxed for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. 



The work of laying a new floor in the exhibition ball of the depart- 

 ment of comparative anatomy necessitated a largo amount of extra labor 

 in removing the specimens, placing some of the material in storage, and 

 finally in cleaning and preparing the specimens for exhibition after the 

 work on the floor had been finished. 



A summary of the osteological work during the year is i)resented in 

 the following statement: 



Skeletons received in tlie tlesb . 



Skeletons cleaned 



Parts of skeletons cleaned 



Sknlls cleaned 



Specimens mounted 



Total 



Mam- 

 mals. 



3 



1 



53 



883 



940 



Birds. Reptiles. 



Crusta- 

 ceans. 



Total. 



982 



Of the skulls cleaned, more than 500 were for the Department of 

 Agriculture. 



