REPORT OX THE DEPARTMENT OF MOLLUSKS* 

 IN THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



By Wm. II. Dai, i.. Honorary Curator. 



The force of the Department of Mollusks for the period reported on 

 has consisted, in addition to the Curator, of Dr. li. E. C. Stearns, Ad- 

 junct Curator, and Mr. Pierre Louis Jouy, Aid. 



Assistance in the work on the fossils collected by the Geological Sur- 

 vey and otLer donors has been rendered from time to time by Messrs. 

 Frank Burns and Charles B. Greene, of the U. S. Geological Survey, 

 by the permission of the Director of the Survey. 



The need of the department for a person who might be entitled to the 

 designation of an elegant penman, to write labels for exhibition and 

 other purposes, increases annually. The clerical force of the depart- 

 ment is wholly inadequate to conquer the arrears of labeling and regis- 

 tration, a fact which will not seem extraordinary when it is realized 

 that the collection contains at least twice as many specimens as any 

 other department of thi Museum, that of these not exceeding one-half 

 are registered and labeled according to the Museum requirements, and 

 that at any time we arc liable to receive an accession large enough to 

 employ our entire time for a whole year. 



The work, as in previous years, has consisted largely of the labeling, 

 determination, and registration of new and old material. This branch 

 of our work, owing to greater demands on our time from other direc- 

 tions, has not progressed as tar as in the previous year. Still, under the 

 circumstances, I believe that as much has been done as our opportuni- 

 ties would allow, and it has been done in a thorough and efficient man- 

 ner. A considerable amount of time has been spent in putting in order 

 the Lea collection of Unionidce for exhibition. Seven cases have been 

 arranged, but the work has been brought to a temporary cessation pend- 

 ing the substitution of new and more presentable cases for those hith- 

 erto in use. It is hoped that early in the present summer these may be 

 far enough advanced to permit of arranging the whole of this unequaled 

 collection of fresh-water mussels of the world. 



371 



Including tertiary fossils, 



