REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 43 



No attempt has yet been made to aequire invertebrate specimens for 

 this department. The most important addition to the exhibition scries 

 of skeletons was an Atlantic Right whale, Balc&m Msdwyensis. This 

 was purchased from Prof II. A. Ward, of Rochester, N. Y. A skele- 

 ton of Sowerby's whale. Meseplodoli hi/lens, was prepared from the speci- 

 men obtained from Gapt.-J: L. Gaskell, keeper of the life saving station 

 at Atlantic City. The U. S. Fish Commission furnished skins of dol- 

 phins, a skeleton of the Fork-tailed gull, Oremgits fwcaitw, and a collec- 

 tion of birds and Elephant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands and the 

 Straits of Magellan. An alcoholic collection of typical New Zealand 

 birds was obtained from the Auckland Museum, and a similar collec- 

 tion of Australian birds was obtained from the Australian Museum at 

 Sydney. In all 195 specimens have been added to the collection dur- 

 ing the year v The number of catalogue eutries during the same period 

 has been 1,054. The excess of this number over the total number of 

 specimens received is accounted for by the large amount of work ac- 

 complished upon accumulations of osteological material from past years. 



Department of Paleozoic Fossils. — By far the larger portion of the 

 accessions to this department has been obtained through the II. S. 

 Geological Survey. Mr. C. D. Walcott, Honorary Curator, has con- 

 tributed to the Museum collections, through his official connection 

 with the Geological Survey, a large series of Lower Middle Cambrian 

 fossils from Newfoundland. lie reports that the Lower Cambrian 

 geueraand species have been worked over and named, and that a large 

 quantity of new material has been added to the collection. From 

 Newfoundland alone not less than 3,000 specimens have been transferred 

 to the Museum during the year. Mr. Walcott in his report makes 

 special mention of nine accessions. The material in the collection has 

 been increased during the year by the addition of 0,177 specimens. The 

 number of catalogue eutries during the same period was 583. 



Department of Mesozoic Fossils. — The official duties of Dr. C. A. White, 

 Honorary Curator, in connection with the Geological Survey, has pre- 

 vented him from devoting more than a small Share of time to work upon 

 the Museum collection* A great deal has, however, been accomplished, 

 and the collection of Mesozoic Fossils is now in far better condition than 

 it has ever been before. Numerous type specimens of species which 

 have been published in various Government reports, have, been installed 

 and are now on exhibition in the south east court. The principal acces- 

 sions during the year ha ve$ as usual, been obtained through the l.S. 

 Geological Survey, Jn addition, type specimens of twelve species of 

 cretaceous fossils were transmitted to the Museum by President 1). S. 

 Jordan, of Indiana State University. Prom the Fish Commission has 

 been received an interesting collection of cretaceous fossils from the 

 Straits of Magellan. Altogether, 31 1 specimens have be»n added to the 

 collection during the year, and 117 entries have been made in the cata- 

 logue. 



