REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS. 



151 



Moving the office of thr curato)*t — Tlic forun'r quarters of the curator 

 in the top ol tiu' south tower proving;', uuder the hir^e increase of busi- 

 uess iu the (lei)artment, no longer suitabh; for the j»ari)08e, the south- 

 west gallery' of the main hall was, at the curator's suggestion, cleared 

 and litted up for temporary oc(!upaucy. The labor of moving the fur- 

 niture, &c., of the curator's office to the new quarters was very consid- 

 erable, iuvolviug, among other things, the transfer of 27 quarter-unit 

 cases and 11 walnut cabinets, with their contents (embracing some 

 ;S0,()00 specimens). 



Selection of specimens for mounting. — About 2,500 skins were selected 

 for mounting, to add to the exhibition series of the Museum. Of this 

 number somewhat over 1,200, chiefly small birds, were mounted; but 

 the reniainder are put aside to be mounted as opportunity permits. 



Preparation of copy for labels for the exhibition collection. — Copy for 

 considerably over 1,000 species-labels for the mounted birds was pre- 

 pared during the year, said labels to give the English name (in large, 

 heavy type) of each species, the various local or popular names, the 

 scientific name, the range, a reference to where a full account of the 

 habits, etc., can be found, and other information specially desired by 

 the general i)ublic. All the North American and a considerable number 

 of the foreign species have been thus covered. A sample copy of this 

 label is herewith submitted : 



Transfer of mounted specimens to new walnut stands. — Several hundred 

 of the mounted speciujens were during the year transferred to new 

 black-walnut stands, and the beauty of the collection thus materially 

 increased. 



' N^eic Orleans exhibit. — By far the larger part of the work done from 

 Jbly to November, inclusive, consisted in the preparation of an exhibit 

 of birds for the World's international Cotton Exposition at New Orleans. 

 It was at first iutended to send a selected series of birds from all parts* 

 of the world, in order to show the more characteristic types of each ot 

 the primary zoogeogra[)hical divisions of the earth. This plan was, 

 however, found not feasible, owing partly to the large expense involved 

 in the purchase of specimens not already iu the collection, but chiefly 

 to the lack of sutUcieut space iu the exhibition building. It was tinally 



