KEPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUM. 1 0,^ 



Among the most important additions have been a collection of skins 

 of Arctic mammals, sent by Mr. R. McFarlane, of Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany, from Athabasca ; a collection of mammals from Surinam, sent by 

 Mr. C. J. Hering, of Paramaribo ; skins of antelope and deer, sent by 

 Mr. Charles Euby, of the United States Army, at Fort Laramie, Wyo. ; 

 skins of polar bear, white whale, and three species of seal, including 

 one male and two young of the very rare saddle-back seal, Histriophoca 

 equestris, brought by E. W. Nelson, Signal-Service observer at Saint 

 Michael's, Alaska ; a specimen of manitee, in the flesh, from the Amazon 

 Eiver, by E. G. Blackford, of New York, and a mounted skeleton of the 

 celebrated race-horse Henry Clay, the progenitor of the American race 

 of trotting horses, given by Hon. Erastus Corning, of Albany, and Mr. 

 Henry O. Jewett, of Buffalo. Mr. P. T. Barnum has sent a specimen in 

 the flesh of a leopard, which has been cast; and, in response to special 

 request for specimens of thorough-bred dogs, to be used in forming a 

 collection of casts of the races of domestic dogs. Dr. T. Berwick Legar6, 

 of Camden, S. C, has given a pointer dog of the best blood; and Miss 

 Anna W. Kelly, of Havre de Grace, Md., an Italian greyhound. From 

 the United States Fish Commission and its correspondents have been 

 obtained seven specimens of porpoises in the flesh, all of which have 

 been cast, and which afford extremely valuable material for settling 

 certain undecided questions concerning the cetacea of the Atlantic. The 

 progress of the work upon the cast of the fin-back whale has been 

 alluded to in connection with the work of the preparators. , 



BIRDS: ROBERT RIDGWAY. 



In the department of birds there have been seventy-four accession 

 lots. Under the direction of Mr. Eobert Ridgway there has been much 

 activity in this department in reorganizing the exhibition series of speci- 

 mens and in eliminating duplicates from the storage series. There have 

 been 4,345 entries in the catalogue. The removal of the mammals and 

 skeletons to the new building will give an opportunity for a much more 

 satisfactory exhibition of the ornithological collections. 



The most important addition has been Mr.Eidgway's private collection 

 of American birds, containing 2,302 specimens of 778 species, especially 

 important because the specimens have been selected in the field to illus- 

 trate variations of color and form due to age, sex, and geographical 

 location. 



In addition to numerous small collections, others of special interest 

 have been received of the birds of INIexico and Yucatan, from A. Bou- 

 card, of Paris; of Surinam, from 0. J. Hering, of Paramaribo ; of Gre- 

 nada, from J. G. Wells, of Saint Andrews ; of Guatemala, from L. Guesde; 

 of Dominica, from Dr. H. A. Nichols; of Costa Eica, from J. C. Zeledon; 

 of Japan, from Dr. .¥ C. Dale, U. S. N.; of Florida, from Messrs. J. BeU 

 and S. T. Walker; of Wyoming, from Charles Euby; of Indiana, from 

 Mr. Eidgway ; and of Illinois, from Mr. L. JM. Turner. 



