DEPARTMENT OF REPTILES. 367 



" Proceedings," while another more extensive article was in prepara- 

 tion at the end of the year covered by this report. 



As stated above, a complete overhauling of the whole collection has 

 been commenced and is still in progress, in order to ascertain the state 

 of the collection, including the number of specimens contained in the 

 various "series." On account of the cramped condition of the collec- 

 tion and lack of assistance, this work will still consume months before 

 completion. The following table is therefore simply based upon the one 

 furnished by my predecessor for the year 1887-'88, by adding the num- 

 ber of entries catalogued during the present year and deducting the 

 number of specimens which are known to have been destroyed, or dis- 

 posed of in exchange. By a calculation of this nature, the status of the 

 collection on June 30, 1889, would be as follows : 



Specimens. 



Reserve series 13, 469 



Duplicate series 8, 802 



Unassorted and exotics 6, 134 



Total 28,405 



The state of preservation of the collection may be said, on the whole, 

 to be tolerably good, but errors in numbering and labeling are con- 

 stantly discovered. In most cases it has been possible to correct them 

 by a diligent search through the records and the literature, a work in- 

 volving considerable labor and consuming much time, though the re- 

 sults have well paid for the trouble. The greatest need of the collec- 

 tion, however, is additional room, since the great majority of the speci- 

 mens with the present facilities are wholly inacessible, while the hand- 

 ling of those more or less accessible is attended with difficulty, and ex- 

 poses them to great danger of being destroyed or lost. The office of 

 the department is now so crowded that a great many of the largest and 

 most valuable specimens have to be placed on the floor, leaving but lit- 

 tle room for the occupants to move about, and exposing the jars to the 

 danger of being broken. 



The number of the last catalogue entry in June, 1S88, was 14,739; 

 in June, 18S9, 15,523. 



