REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 43 



Insects. — 430 volumes, 907 parts, 217 pamplilets. 

 Mammals. — 204 volumes, 310 pamplilets. 

 Marine Ini'vrtehrates. — 7 volumes, 44 pamplilets, 118 charts. 

 Materia medica. — 223 volumes, 215 parts, 18 pamphlets. 

 Mesozoie fossils. — 31 volumes, 2 pamphlets. 

 Miiieralogji, A. — 183 volumes, 418 parts, 8 pamjililets. 

 Minerdlotjn, B. — 74 volumes, (59 pamphlets, 1 sheet. 

 MoUusla and Cenozoic fosxils. — 105 volumes, 274 parts, 93 pamphlets. 

 Oriental arehwoloc/i/. — 190 volumes, 398 parts, 112 pamphlets. 

 Plants, recent and fossil. — 331 voluiues, 1,437 parts, 2G1 pam])hlets. 

 Prehistoric antkropolomi. — 62 volumes, 80 parts, aud 24 pamphlets, in addition to 

 the Rau Memorial Library of 1,(509 titles. 



Reptiles and hatrachians. — 9 volumes, 51 parts, 1 pamphlet. (Partly organized.) 

 Transportation and engineering. — 84 volumes, 438 parts, 4 pamphlets. 



It was 1101)0(1 that Congress would i)iovide for binding' tlie acoumnlated 

 books belonging to the Museum library, but the appropriation asked 

 for was not granted. The usual ai:)plicatiou was therefore made to Mr. 

 vSpofford, Librarian of Congress, f(U' an order to bind some of the books 

 belonging to the Smithsonian dei)osit now in use at the Museum, and 

 Mr. Spoftbrd with his usual kindness at once furnished an order for 

 binding 300 volumes. By taking advantage of a time of the year when 

 work at the Government bindery was least pressing, it was possible to 

 have these books away from the library a comparatively short time only. 



Mr. N. P. Seudder has made great improvement in the condition of 

 the crowded periodical room. The construction of 480 feet of shelving 

 has enabled him to arrange the books in nnich more accessible shape, 

 ,ind also to adopt something in the way of a classitication, making the 

 finding of periodicals much more convenient than formerly. Never- 

 theless, the rate of growth of the library is so large that the value of 

 this additional shelf-room is almost neutralized by the greater number 

 of accessions during the year. 



SPECIMENS SENT TO THE MUSEUM FOR EXAMINATION AND REPORT* 



DURING THE YEAR. 



A large number of specimens are received every year for examination 

 and report. A record is kept of each j)ackage, and when the specimens 

 are considered worthy of addition to the jMuseum collections, they are so 

 recorded and given an accession number. About 450 lots (797-1247) 

 have been received for examination and report during the fiscal year 

 covered by this report. The specimens are examined by the curator in 

 charge of the department to which they relate, and he sulmiits a state- 

 ment regarding them, whii-li is forwarded to the sender, or used in i^re- 

 pariug a reply. A list is given below: 



Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa. : Two specimens of snakes. 

 (Returned.; 1242 (vi). 



* The first number in the items included in this list relates to the record of spec- 

 imeus sent for examination and report. The number in parentheses relates to the rec- 

 ord of permanent accessions. The third, in roman, and also in parentheses, relates 

 to the department in the Museum to which the specimen was referred. 



