366 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



Through the kind offices of Mr. Gustave Kohn, of New Orleans, Lou- 

 isiana, the department secured by purchase, a number of rare chelon- 

 ians from that state, thus filling serious gaps in the North American 

 reserve series. 



A great deal of the routine work has consisted in entering on the 

 record book material accumulated during previous years. The Curator 

 has instituted a change in cataloguing accessions, so that now each 

 specimen receives a separate number. Formerly all the specimens of 

 the same species in each accession were entered collectively under the 

 same number. Under the old system it was very difficult to properly 

 designate each individual specimen when it became necessary to men- 

 tion it separately, either in treating of it scientifically or in the ordi- 

 nary museum routine, for instance, when any single individual of a 

 collective number had to be picked out as a duplicate for exchange. 



Special care has been exercised in identifying and properly labeling 

 type specimens. When assuming control the Curator found quite a 

 number of specimens collected by the famous "Exploring Expedition" 

 with labels which, from exposure and neglect, had become nearly illeg- 

 ible. They had not been entered upon the record books, and on cat. 

 aloguing them, great care was taken in deciphering the labels to prevent 

 possible mistakes. This work was of necessity very slow, as it involved 

 considerable research besides the mere deciphering of the faded labels ; 

 but the Curator was rewarded by rescuing in this way the types of no 

 less than eight species. 



It often happens that specimens destined for this department are 

 received alive. Whenever practicable such specimens have been 

 deposited in the department of living animals, to be returned when 

 they die. It has been found impracticable to do so with rare or specially 

 valuable specimens, because in the vivarium they easily lose their 

 identity, while, on the other hand, it often happens that their death is 

 only discovered after putrefaction has set in, rendering them unfit for 

 preservation in alcohol. 



During the present year Prof. E. D. Cope has finished his work on 

 the North American batrachians, based upon the collections of this 

 department, and has commenced a similar study of the North Ameri- 

 can snakes in the Museum. 



Dr. G. Baur, of Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut, has had for 

 study a number of chelonians belonging to the Museum, especially the 

 soft-shelled turtles. Some of the results of these studies will be found 

 indicated in the bibliography of the year, forming Section IV of the 

 report. 



The Curator has been unable to devote much time to scientific study 

 of the collection during the few months he has been in charge. What 

 little he has been able to do has been to investigate the status of the 

 boiform snakes of North America! with special reference to individual 

 variation. One paper has been handed in to the editor of the Museum 



