REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES 



IX THE I . S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, L889. 



By RICHARD Rathbun, Honorary Curator. 



The duties of the Curator iu connection with the Fish Commission 

 have prevented his giving much personal attention to his department 

 during the past year. The exhibition hall, which has been closed for 

 two or three years on account of the extensive repairs made to the 

 Smithsonian building, has been thoroughly renovated and prepared for 

 the use of the public. All of the collections have received constant care, 

 and their condition in the several store-rooms has been greatly improved. 

 But few accessions were received, owing chiefly to the fact that the Fish 

 Commission, which has been its principal contributor ever since the 

 department was reorganized in 1880, has made arrangements to care 

 for its own collections of marine animals until they shall have been 

 studied and reported upon. This will, in a measure, benefit the depart- 

 ment by relieving it of the routine work incidental to the preservation 

 and assorting of the large unworked collections sent in by the vessels 

 and field parties of the Commission, wliile eventually it will become the 

 recipient of valuable type series, representing the labors of recognized 

 authorities in systematic zoology. It is expected, moreover, that these 

 collections will be turned over to the Museum from time to time, as the 

 work on the different groups is completed. 



The total number of accessions recorded is thirteen, none of which 

 were of large size. Lieut. J. F. Moser, I'. S. Navy, commanding the 

 Coast Survey steamer Bache, has contributed a small assortment of 

 miscellaneous specimens dredged off Cape Sable, Florida, during the 

 winter of 18*7-88. Mr. Henry Hemphill has sent in a number of speci- 

 mens of crustaceans and sponges, obtained from kelp roots, off San 

 Diego, California. Several freshwater crabs and shrimps have been 

 received from Dr. Louis P. II. Birt, of the Nicaragua Canal Construc- 

 tion Company. The\ were collected near ( ireytow ii, Nicaragua. Mr. 

 Etomyn Hitchcock has presented a small collection of crustaceans and 

 sponges from Japan; and Judge James ( i. Swan, several echini and 

 crustaceans from Port Townsend, Washington. The remaining acces- 

 sions do not require special mention. 



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