38 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1900. 



The Department of Agriculture transmitted 2,500 Alaskan plants 

 collected b}' Mr. F. V. Coville and Mr. T. H. Kearney, 2,300 speci- 

 mens from. Virginia and North Carolina collected b}^ Mr. Kearney, 

 and 807 specimens from the State of Washington collected 1)}^ Mr. 

 Kirk Whited. The United States Geological Survey transmitted 413 

 plants from Oregon. 



STUDY COLLECTIONS. 



In the Division of Mammals satisfactory progress was made in 

 re-arranging the study collections of rodents, insectivores, and bats, 

 comprising several thousand specimens, and the work of remodeling 

 skins for study purposes was continued for about live months. The 

 majority of these small skins are now in excellent condition. The col- 

 lection of skins of large mammals is still in confusion owing to lack of 

 proper case room. 



The curator of the Division of Birds having been detailed for work 

 on the manuscript of his Manual of the Birds of North and Middle 

 America, and the assistant curator having been in the West Indies for 

 some months, little was accomplished in this division bej^ond the 

 re-arrangement of the exhibition series, already referred to, and the 

 performance of routine work. The great study collection of birds is, 

 however, in a very satisfactory condition except that portion which is 

 still in old-st3de cases. Before this can be put in order some eighteen 

 half-unit cases must be provided, for which funds have not been 

 availa])le thus far. 



The curator of the Division of Comparative Anatomy and assistant 

 were occupied very largely with work on vertebrate fossils, especially' 

 with the transfer of the Marsh collections from New Haven. This, 

 and the necessit}^ of re-arranging the exhibition hall, left little time for 

 other than routine work. The condition of the osteological collections 

 is satisfactory. 



Mr. Dall, honorary cui-ator of the Division of Mollusks, reports as 

 follows: 



Progress in the revision of the study series is naturally slow but constant. All the 

 reserve material is accessible and in order. Anything in the collection can be found 

 in a few minutes and the genera are catalogued on cards which refer to their location 

 in the cases. The whole duplicate collection is in first-class order and catalogued on 

 cards. The unadministered alcoholics are catalogued by genera on cards and located 

 so that any jar can be found at once. 



In the Division of Marine Invertebrates the study collection of dr}^ 

 specimens of sea urchins was overhauled and arranged systematically 

 for more convenient reference. The collection of worms was trans- 

 ferred to a room in the north tower of the Smithsonian building. 



Regarding the study collection of insects, Doctor Howard, honorary 

 curator, reports as follows: 



