194 REPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1884. •- 



mission has also falleu to tbis department and has occupied much time. 

 Portions of the general collection have been overhauled from time to 

 time for the purpose of i^laciug specimens in better condition for study 

 iiud reference, and in June the entire series of alcoholics was examined 

 and the alcohol renewed where necessary. The collection of Echini 

 lias received most attention from the curator, as elsewhere noted, and 

 at the time of writing is in better condition than any other collection 

 of the department. 



The exhibition series of specimens has been entirely rearranged so as 

 to present a more systematic sequence, and it now fills all of the wall 

 cases which nearly surround the west hall of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. The large amount of material stored in the hall, however, pre- 

 vents its being opened to the public. A few large si:)ecimeus of Crus- 

 tacea and corals have been mounted during the year and added to this 

 series. 



The preparation of the fourth series of duplicates, comprising 200 

 sets, each containing 108 species, selected from the collections turned 

 in by the Fish Commission, was completed in the spring, and many of 

 the sets have already been sent out. 



The cataloguing of specimens has kept pace with the work upon col- 

 lections, and 5,667 entries have been made in the record books during 

 the year. This number includes the entries of specimens of marine 

 invertebrates collected by the Fish Commission, all of which are entered 

 ill the catalogue books of the department as the most convenient method 

 of recording them. 



Three collecting outfits were supplied during the year, as follows : 

 To Ensign C. S. McClain, U. S. N., who acted as naturalist on the steamer 

 Alert of the Greely relief party to Lady Franklin Bay ; to Lieut. George 

 M. Stoney, U.S.N., who has been engaged in explorations in Alaska; 

 and to Dr. Edward Palmer, whose large collection from the Florida 

 reefs has already been described. 



From the middle of July to the middle of October the curator and 

 Mr. Baldwin took part in the summer explorations of the Fish Commis- 

 sion at Wood's Holl, Mass, The character of the work accomplished 

 in this connection, so far as it relates to this department of the Museum, 

 is described further on. 



Mr. A. H. Baldwin has been employed as general assistant since 

 April 10. Ensign C. S. McClain, U. S. K, assigned to duty at the 

 Smithsonian Institution in 1883 by the Secretary of the Navy, rendered 

 efficient services upon the collections during the first half of the year, 

 or until he joined the Greely relief party in June. Mr. Thomas Lee, 

 of Boston, acted as a volunteer assistant during November and Decem- 

 ber, and Miss M. J. Rathbun was assigned to this department on the 1st 

 of December. 



Cataloguing, — The total number of entries of specimens made in the 

 record books for 1884 was 5,GG7, distributed- among the several groups 



