XI -REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE INVERTE- 

 BRATES* IN THE U. 8. NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR 1884. 



By Richard Rathbun, Curator. 



ACCESSIONS. 



The record of accessions to this departmeut of the Museum during 

 the year just passed is unusually satisfactory. Several identilied col- 

 lections of great value have been obtained from well-known European 

 and American authorities, and a large amount of material for future 

 elaboration has been received. The most important additions were 

 made, as usual, by the U. S. Fish Commission, and represent the recent 

 deep-sea explorations of the steamer Albatross over a wide area. Large 

 collections were likewise obtained from other sources. The total num- 

 ber of accessions was 72, and the number of shipping packages of all 

 sizes received, 240. This enumeration does not, however, convey an 

 adequate conception of the extent of the additions to the department, 

 as several of the accessions amounted to more than 3,200 packages each, 

 if all the jars, bottles, vials, and small boxes are counted. The princi- 

 l)al additions were as follows : 



The U. S. Fish Commission : Very large and valuable collections were 

 transferred to this department by the Fish Commission in 1884. Cer- 

 tain portions of these collections having been worked up, and reports 

 upon them jjresented to the Commissioner, they now come into the per- 

 manent possession of the Museum, but other portions are to be regarded 

 as simi)ly in its custody for safe-keeping. 



Over 1,200 packages were received from the cruise of the steamer 

 Albatross in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and among the 

 West Indian Islands, from January to May, 1884 ; but this number does 

 not include many samples of bottom materials obtained at the sound- 

 ing stations in connection with the work of the Hydrographic Bureau, 

 and elsewhere credited to the Navy Department. This collection will 

 largely supplement the verj' valuable results recently obtained by the 

 Coast Survey steamer Blake in the same region. It contains many rep- 

 resentatives of all the principal groups of marine invertebrates common 



" Exclusivo of the MoUusca. 



189 



