160 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1884. 



(&) Eggs. 



Specimens sent out in exchange .- , 34 



(Specimens loaned for examination 11 



Total. 45 



Species sent out in exchange 11 



.Species loaned for examination 11 



Total 22 



SPECIAL WORK ACCOMPLISHED. 



UripacMng and redistributing the collection of birds sent to the London 

 International Fisheries Exhibition. — The return of several large boxes 

 of specimeos of aquatic and fish-eating birds, sent to the London Inter- 

 national Fisheries Exhibition, necessitated a large amount of labor in 

 unpacking and redistributing the same to their respective drawers. 

 This collection embraced 380 specimens, representing 220 species. 



Selection of birds for the museum of the Indiana State University. — The 

 natural history collections of the Indiana State University having been 

 totally destroyed by fire in July, 1883, the National Museum undertook 

 to replace, in a measure, the ornithological collection of that establish- 

 ment. For this purpose a considerable number of duplicate mounted 

 specimens were available, and in order to get at these it was necessary 

 to unpack some dozen or more large boxes which had been kept in the 

 storage rooms, and then repack and invoice the residue. The total 

 number of specimens, chiefly mounted, which were thus disposed of 

 amounted to 564, representing 395 species. 



Researches connected with a neiv list of North American birds. — The 

 curator of the department having been charged by the Committee on 

 Classification and Nomenclature of the American Ornithologists' Union 

 to determine certain, doubtful questions of synonymy among North 

 American birds, for the proposed new list to be published by the 

 Union, he has spent much time in investigating the various complicated 

 questions pertaining to this work. In this labor he has been materially 

 assisted by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger. 



Rearrangement of the collection of larger water birds, &c. — Four new 

 large " Salvin" cabinets having been provided for the accommodation 

 of a portion of the collection of larger birds, the latter, which had been 

 packed in various inconvenient and unsafe receptacles, chiefly large 

 packing boxes, were unpacked and rearranged in the drawers of the 

 new cabinets. 



Installation of mounted specimens. — A large number of specimens 

 which had accumulated during the occupancy of the alcoves between 

 the exhibition cases in the main hall by the Smithsonian offices, while 

 the east end of the building was undergoing repairs, was distributed 

 through the cases after the alcoves were cleared, it having until then 

 been impossible to gain access to the cases. 



