REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 19 



Among 1 tlic acquisitions in ornithology were many rare and valuable 

 specimens. The most important single accession was the private col- 

 lection of Mr. Robert Ridgway, containing about 1,100 North and 

 Central American birds, many in the first plumage and all exceedingly 



perfect preparations. The most valuable additions to the collection 

 of birds' eggs wore received as gifts from Dr. William L. Ralph, who 

 is in charge of the section, but some rarities were also contributed by 

 the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture. 



The expedition made to the Amazon River, Brazil, by Prof. J. B. 

 Steere, on behalf of the Pan-American Exposition, furnished a large 

 series of characteristic reptiles and fishes. Other noteworthy additions 

 of reptiles were a collection from the Polynesian Islands made by the 

 Fish Commission steamer Albat? , oss, and another from St. Kitts, West 

 Indies, presented by Mr. W. H. Alexander, United States weather 

 observer. Among fishes the important accessions were the types of 

 new species and other specimens obtained about Porto Rico by the 

 Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk in 1899, the types of Hawaiian 

 fishes collected by Dr. O. P. Jenkins, of Leland Stanford Junior Uni- 

 versity, and Mr. T. D. Wood, and a series of Japanese fishes presented 

 by the same university. 



Especially prominent among the additions to the Division of Mol- 

 lusks was a donation from Dr. W. Eastlake, of Tokyo, Japan, compris- 

 ing about 500 species of Oriental shells, which have heretofore been 

 poorly represented in the National Museum. Over 200 species and 

 3,000 specimens were received from the collecting trip made to Haiti 

 and Jamaica by Mr. J. B. Henderson, jr., and Mr. C. T. Simpson. 

 Other noteworthy accessions were 225 species of Naiades from South 

 and Central America, and a large series of Australian shells. 



In the Division of Insects the number of accessions reached :_".»7, and 

 the important ones among them are so many that they can scarcely be 

 summarized in this connection. Of greatest value was the collection 

 of European Lepidoptera brought together by the late Dr. O. Hof- 

 mann and obtained by purchase. It comprises 15,626 specimens and 

 is especially rich in the smaller moths. 



The Division of Marine Invertebrates received six important collec- 

 tions from the Fish Commission, namely: The ophiurans of the Alba- 

 tross cruise to the ( ialapagos Islands and the west coast of Central and 

 South America in 1891, and described by Drs. Li'itken and Mortensen; 

 the crustaceans from dredgings and shore collecting on the coast of 

 Japan by the steamer Albatross and Dr. H. F. Moore in 1900; the 

 corals from the South Sea expedition of the steamer Albatross in 

 1899-1900, and from Porto Rican waters collected by the steamer Fish 

 Hawk in 1899; a large collection of crayfishes from West Viginia: and 



