373 



The large collection of fishes from the Sandwich IsLands, 

 presented by Dr. C. F. Winslow, nearly six years since ; the 

 valuable collection of Cuban fishes, procured from Prof 

 Poey, with his identifications, three years ago ; the collection 

 of North American fishes, presented by the Smithsonian 

 Institution during the past year; and those made by the 

 Curator during the last two years, at Lake Erie and several 

 of the lakes in Maine, still remain in cans and kegs for the 

 want of jars. 



For some time past it has been the wish of the Curator to 

 place on exhibition a complete series of the fishes of Xew 

 England, for which purpose he has paid special attention to 

 the collection of specimens in various parts of New England, 

 and if jars and alcohol were now at his command, a very fxir 

 exhibition of the New England Ichthyological fauna could 

 be made, which, in a few years, could be perfected, though it 

 would be necessary to represent the larger fishes, especially 

 the sharks and skates, by stufled specimens. 



Is there not some member of the Society who would be 

 willing to provide the means of placing such a special and 

 valuable collection, which could be called after his name, in 

 our cases ? 



The principal receipts during the year have been : 1st, the 

 collection of fifty-four species of North American fishes, 

 identified by Prof Gill, and presented by the Smithsonian 

 Institution ; 2d, the collection of ten species and about one 

 hundred specimens of Labrador fishes, presented by Dr. A. 

 S. Packard, Jr.; .3d, a collection of about forty species and 

 one thousand specimens, made by the Curator in October 

 last, at Kelley's Island, Lake Erie. 



Besides the above mentioned collections, about twenty 

 specimens have been received from Dr. B. S. Shaw, Messrs. 

 C. J. Sprague, W. H. Dall, J. S. Lewis, Samuel Hubbard 

 and R. C. Greenleaf Mr. Caleb Cooke of Salem, has pre- 

 sented a fine specimen of the rare Leptocephalus gracilis 

 Storer, one of six which he collected on Nahant beach in 

 July, 1858. 



The Acting Custodian reports, in the absence of the 

 Curator of Entomology for a portion of the year, that good 



