144 REPORT OF NxVTIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



months to make collections for the Mnsenm on the Mexican boundary. Mr. P. L. 

 Jony was also engaged in tield work in Mexico for a part of the year. 



The 8^)ecimen8 lent for study, dissection, or other pnrpo.ses during the year were 

 as follows : 



To Dr. .) A. Allen, Anurican Museum of Natural History, New York, 9 skins and 

 10 skulls of Field mice (Sitomi/s); 24 skins and 1.5 skulls of Pouched Gophers 

 {Thoutomi/s); 1 skin and 1 skull of Meadow mouse (ArincoJa); 1 akin and 1 skull of 

 Field mou.se {Sitomys)-. 1 skin and 3 skulls of Harvest mice (Ochefodon). For study. 

 To Dr. Harrison Allen, Philadelphia, Pa., 3 skulls of bats ( Dasj/pierits). For study. 

 To Prof. Dr. Willi. Leche, Stockholm, Sweden, 2 young Star-nosed moles in alcohol; 

 2 young moles in alcohol. For dissection. 



To the Madrid Historical Exhibition, Madrid, Spain, 10 mounted mammals charac- 

 teristic of the North American fauna ; 7 i)airs of antlers. For exhibition. 



To S. N. Rhoads, Philadelphia. P;i.. 2 skins and 1 skull of Cooper's mouse (Siinap- 

 tomns). For study. 

 The number of specimens in the several series, June 30. 1893, was as follows: 



Mounted skins in the exhibition series 842 



Skins and alcoholic specimens in the study and reserve series 10, 204 



Skins and alcoholic specimens received during the year* 728 



The la.st entries in the several catalogues. .June 30, 1893, were as follows: 

 Regular series — 



Catalogue of skins and alcoholics , 20, 994 



Catalogue of skulls and skeletons 36, 0.52 



Deitartnjent of Agriculture deposit: 

 Old series — 



Catalogue of skins and alcoholics 36, 939 



Catalogue of skulls and skeletons 49, 328 



New series — 



General catalogue (beginning with .50001) 54, 102 



DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS. 



The year's work consisted cbietly in preparing the exhibit of birds 

 for the Columbian Exposition. This work, owing to the impossibility 

 of securing an adequate number of skilled taxidermists, and extreme 

 ditticulty of obtaining necessary materials and specimens, and the 

 elaborate character of the labels ])repared, absorbed all the time of the 

 curator and his assistants Jind stoppcMl the regular O])erations of the 

 dei)artnient. 



More than 1,300 birds mounted on pedestals, representing nearly 900 

 species, were sent to Chicago; but owing to a reduction of exhibition 

 space many of those had to be repacked and stored. This collection 

 of mounted birds contained representatives of every one of the families 

 of birds found in the Western ITemisi)hcre (104 in number), except the 

 American o.strich family, which was represented by water-color pictures. 

 Among the smaller birds, each family was represented by sufficient 

 number of si)ecies (mostly of different genera) to show the extreme 

 variations of size, form, and coloration. 



* These statistics do not include the collections deposited by the Department of 

 Agriculture, which are not ilirectly in the custody of the curator. Forty-six speci- 

 mens were received on deposit from other sources. 



