156 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



after registration. Much attention has been paid to tlie Tertiary fos- 

 sils, ill which the collection is very rich, and which were urgently 

 needed for comparison with the material brought in by the U. S. Geo- 

 logical Survey. The entire collection of Tertiary ibssils has been 

 arranged for easy reference, and a provisional card catalogue of locali- 

 ties and horizons has been i)i'epared. Much of the material from the 

 Miocene has been cleaned, separated, arranged, and registered, and 

 provided with labels showing locality, collector, etc., though in many 

 cases the names had to be omitted until the specimens shall have been 

 more thoroughly studied, A large part of the registration for the year 

 has related to this class of specimens. The amount of registration is 

 shown in the following table: 



Species of duplicates catalogneil 281 



Card catalogue of the sauic 1'81 



Drawings registered 29 



Envelopes filled out for dra wings 29 



Total t;20 



Adding to these the number of actual registrations for the vear we 

 have a grand total of about 5,738 entries, as against a similar total of 

 7,700 for lS01-'92. 



The number of accessions during 1892-'93 was 72, against 85 in 

 1891-92. Several of them were of importance and many of great inter- 

 est, but, as a whole, the accessions during the i»ast year do not comprise 

 any very large single masses of material compared with those of some 

 previous years. 



The most important contribution to the collection has been the result 

 of a decision by the Rev. L. T. Chamberlain and Mrs. Frances Lea 

 Chamberlain to contribute the means necessary to bring up to date 

 and keej) as complete as practicable the Lea collection of fresh-water 

 mollusks, especially the UnionUUc. In pursuance of this very desira- 

 ble object, they have generously furnished the means for the purchase 

 of several unique series of Asiatic and African uuios, and have author- 

 ized the ordering of others, when necessary, for the object in view. 

 Nearly all the material thus acquired is rare and new to the collection, 

 and of the utmost value for the study of the group to which it belongs. 

 Looking forwar<l to the publication of a catalogue of the Lea Collection 

 as one of the special bulletins of the Museum, Mr. and Mrs. Cliamber- 

 lain have also generously added to the sectional library by autliorizing 

 the purchase of such works of recent date on the riiioiiithr as are 

 necessary to the studies involved and not yet contained in the jMiiseum 

 library. Several costly and important works have already been 

 ordered or received under this arrangement, and more will follow. Our 

 sincere thanks are due to Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain for their wise 

 and considerate generosity, which not only benefits science and the 

 Museum, but continues the association of the name of Lea with prog- 



