REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 29 



taxidermists Avas increased and a special workshop was fitted up for 

 tlieir use. Mr. William Palmer has been appointed chief taxidermist. 

 The mammal collectious are, on the whole, in a good state of preserva- 

 tion. The number of specimens received durinj;' the year was 465. 



Tlic increase in the collections in this department during' the year 

 lias been most gratifying. The Eighth (Jongress of the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union was held in Washington in IS"ovember, 1890. The 

 ofticc of the curator of birds — Mr. Robert Eidgway — was used as the 

 headquarters for the members and the meeting-place of several com- 

 mittees, especially that on species and subspecies. Plans and esti- 

 mates for an exhibit of birds at the World's Colund)ian Ex])osition were 

 jtrepared and submitted by the curator. 



The total number of specinu>ns added to the collection during the 

 year was li,478. and of catalogue entries, 2,.j8o. 



Mr. H. Xehrling, of Wisconsin, has published the first part of his 

 ■work on '•• North American Birds," numy of the illustrations being taken 

 from plates in the rei)orts of the National Museum. 



]ili;i)s' ICGGS. 



The collection of biids' eggs and nests remains in the custody of 

 ('apt. Charles E. Ben<lire, IT. S. Army, honorary curator. Among the 

 more imiK)rtant accessions during the year is an interesting collection 

 of eggs and nests, the gift of Mr. Iv. MacFarlane, of the Hudson Bay 

 Company. The number of eggs of North American birds in the col- 

 lection is now 45,031, and of foreign birds, 4,5()1. The? number of nests 

 in the reserve and exhil)ition series is 13,574, making ;i total of 52,160 

 specimens of eggs and nests in the collection. 



REPTILES AND HA ri!A( IIIANS. 



The year covered by this rc) tort is reported by Dr. Leonliard Stejneger, 

 curator, as one of unusual activity. The principal accessions received 

 were a collection of reptiles made by Mr. P. L. Jouy. the study of which 

 will probably result in greatly increasing and correcting existing knowl- 

 edge of the heri)etology of the southwestern border; a valuable collec- 

 tion of reptiles from Idaho contributed by Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of the 

 Dcjtartment of Agriculture. Of the exotic collections none exceed in 

 importance those received from Dr. W. L. Abbott, and collected by him 

 in the Seychelles, ]Madagascar, and Kilima-Njaro region, East Africa. 

 In addition to his other duties, the curator has assumed the editorship 

 of the supplement to the "Nomenclator Zordogicus." The titles of 

 ])a])('rs i>ublished dnring the year by Dr. tSteJiicgcr w ill be Ibiind in the 

 IJibliography (section iv, of tin' report). 



!)iiiiiig tl|(' year 008 sjx'cimciis JiaAc Ih'cii addc(| to tl|c (■(»llcctioii, 



