1868.] 17 [Custodian. 



ians, 65 Ophidians or serpents, 34 Saurians or lizards, and 

 7 Chelonians or turtles; the foreign specimens number 6 

 Ichthyodi, 15 Anura, 61 0})hidians, 43 Saurians, and 3 

 Chelonians, — most of the localized specimens representing 

 as many different species. Where the locality of specimens 

 is unknown (and this unfortunately includes more than 

 half of the collection, although many of them are duplicates), 

 the specimens are divided as follows: 51 Ichthyodi, 68 

 Anura, 285 Ophidians, 164 Saurians, and 10 Chelonians. 

 These can only be used foi- anatomical purposes, or as illus- 

 trations of the different groups ; in view of their great 

 number, the Curator wishes to remind donors of the com- 

 paratively slight value of a specimen whore the locality is 

 unknown, and to express his regret that some of the donations 

 of the past year have been deficient in this respect. Sixty-one 

 s])ecimens have been added to the department, the most 

 A'aluable being a small collection of foreign species fi"om Mr. 

 W. T. Brigham, and a few reptiles from the Guatemalan 

 collection purchased of Dr. Van Patten; for the rest we are 

 indebted to Mrs. D. D. Hughes, Drs. G. H. Brown, and E. 

 P. Colby, and Messrs. W. T. Brigham, R. C. Greenleaf, A. 

 Reynolds and F. G. Sanborn. 



As the Fishes have been stored for a long time, many of 

 them in kegs and cans, they Avill require much prepara- 

 tion before they can be exhibited ; yet the Curator hopes to 

 open the room to the public within a few weeks, and to com- 

 plete the arrangement of the collection during the present 

 season. The most interesting additions to the department 

 have been obtained by purchase ; they comprise a series of 

 specimens of small fish, collected by Mr. J. A. Allen, from 

 small streams on either side of the " great divide " in central 

 Iowa, separating the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri, 

 and a few Guatemalan fish purchased of Dr. Van Patten. 

 Drs. G. H. Brown, and J. Homans, Capt. N. E. Atwood, and 



I'lMK'KEllINGS B. S. N. H, — VOL. XII. 2 .lU.NK, iSiiS. 



