106 REPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Hayden, at Moose Factory, Hudson's Bay territory ; and from Dr. O. P. 

 Hay, in the Mississippi Eiver. Exotic fishes have been received from F. 

 Busse, of Giestemiinde, Germany; from Dr. H. A. Mchols, of Dominica; 

 from the Public Museum of Kingston, Jamaica ; from the Auckland Mu- 

 seum of New Zealand; from Prof. Alfred Dug^s, of Guanajuato, Mexico; 

 and from Frederick M. Wallem, of Bergen. Charles Scribner's Sons, of 

 Kew York, have presented a copy of the sumptuous work published by 

 them on the " Game Fishes of North America:" — the text by G. Brown 

 Goode, the plates by J. A. Kilbourne. 



INSECTS : CHARLES V. RILEY. 



The department of entomology is one which has, for excellent reasons, 

 been very little cultivated in the National Museum, although in previ- 

 ous years the Smithsonian published many extensive works on insects, 

 and paid much attention to gathering material for investigation. 



The subject of entomology is divided by students into so many 

 branches, each of which is occupied by a small number of specialists, and 

 it being deemed of first importance to have the materials which are col- 

 lected carefully studied and reported upon, the collections, as received, 

 have been distributed in lots to the eight or ten entomologists who 

 have been serving as collaborators of the Museum, and the material 

 not thus disposed of has been turned over to the entomologists of the 

 Department of Agriculture. The necessity of a department of system- 

 atic and economic entomology has, however, been always recognized, 

 and on the occasion of the present reorganization steps have been taken 

 to establish such a department. Prof. C. Y. Riley, the entomologist 

 of the Department of Agriculture, has been appointed honorary curator, 

 and has deposited his own private collection of insects, with the idea of 

 using it as a nucleus for the development of a collection fitting the 

 dignity af a national 'museum. 



The collection deposited by Professor Eiley, as stated in the circular, 

 comprises some 30,000 species and upward of 150,000 specimens of all 

 orders, and is contained in some 300 double-folding boxes, in large book 

 form, and in two cabinets containing 80 glass drawers, the specimens 

 being all in admirable condition and classified, so far as determined. 

 The collection is especially valuable for the large amount of material it 

 contains, representing and illustrating the life-habits of insects and 

 everything relating to their transformation and economy. 



In addition to the collection proper, Professor Eiley has also furnished 

 a large amount of miscroscopic material mounted on slides, and illus- 

 trative of more minute forms of insect life and their structure, together 

 with much paraphernalia, such as drying and relaxing boxes, spreading- 

 boards, collecting-materials, «&c., which will i^rove most useful in the 

 work of the department. Finally, he has also added that portion of 

 his pamphlet-case library relating to the subject of entomology, and 

 consisting of 134 cases and upward of 1,000 pamjihlets. 



