DEPARTMENT OF LIVING ANIMALS. 423 



limited accommodations. They have been on dutj every holiday in 

 order to keep the collection open to the crowds of visitors always in 

 attendance on such occasions, and are always on duty part of the day 

 on Sunday to look after the comfort of the animals in their charge. 



Unlike all the other departments of the Museum, this contains neither 

 a reserve nor duplicate series of specimens, but an exhibition scries 

 only, which embraces all the living creatures on hand at any given time. 

 Specimens lost by death are immediately transferred to the other de- 

 partments of the Museum, according to their respective wants, being 

 divided between the departments of comparative anatomy, mammals, 

 birds, and reptiles. 



The total number of living specimens received during the year was 

 271, of which 12(5 were gifts, 37 were deposited, and 8 were purchased. 

 The last catalogue entry on June 30, 18S9, was 341, which represents 

 the total number of specimens received since the collection was begun. 



