1868.] 19 [Custodian. 



At the time of the last annual meeting the Curator of 

 Mollusks was engaged to devote three consecutive months 

 to the arrangement of that collection ; but mechanics were 

 at work so long in the exhibition room and laboratory devo- 

 ted to the department, that he could only commence his 

 task a month after the expiration of the specified time ; 

 other engagements made it impossible for him to renew the 

 agreement, but every day that could be spared since then 

 has been given up to the collection. The labor has nec- 

 essarily been of a preliminary character ; boxes have been 

 unpacked, complete suites separated from the Bartlett Flor- 

 ida collection, the old collections rearranged in the new 

 room, and many of the specimens removed to new trays. 

 Much time has been given to the Pratt collection, and the 

 Massachusetts shells which it contains are all disposed in win- 

 dow cases, permanently mounted on fi'esh tablets with new 

 labels ; the arrangement of the collection will proceed as 

 fast as possible, and a portion of the new room soon be open 

 to the public. We are indebted to Mrs. Henry Bryant for 

 a valuable collection of mollusks, mostly teri-estrial, from the 

 Bahamas and other parts of the West Indies, collected by 

 Dr. Bryant. They have been placed for examination in the 

 hands of Mr. Thomas Bland, of New York, who has made 

 the land shells of the West Indies his special study. We 

 have recently purchased an interesting collection of Ha- 

 waiian shells labelled by Mr. W. Harper Pease, and dona- 

 tions have been received from Mrs. Winslow, Drs. F. H. 

 Brown, J. Homans and B. J. Jeftries and Messrs. W. T. 

 Brigham, J. H. Huntington, C. A. Stearns and R. C. Stone. 



The collection of Radiates is now in a satisfactory condi- 

 tion, so far as its safety and value for scientific study are 

 concerned ; the catalogue is nearly completed, the alcoholic 

 collections have been jilaced in new jars, and many labels 

 wi'itten. Much time must be expended in mounting the 

 corals in their natural iipright condition, and in making the 



