REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS 

 IN THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 1891. 



By KoBEKT RiDGWAY, Curator. 



GENERAL REVIEW OE THE YEAR'S WORK, 



Among" the more important special matters attended to duriug the 

 year 1890-01 tlie following- are woi'tliy of mention: Five of the exhi- 

 bition cases, recently remodeled, were tilled witli specimens ];)roperly 

 arranged and labeled. The stock of printed species labels (3,124 in 

 number) was tborouglily overhauled and re-arranged, a sample or ref- 

 erence set being pasted alphabetically on sheets. A very large part of 

 the study collection of American Passer es and Picarke (tilling thirty- 

 three cases) was transferred to remodeled quarter-unit cases and 

 entirely re-arranged, A i)()i)ular illustrated handbook on the Humming- 

 birds, embracing 130 printed pages, with 39 full-page i)lates, 7 plates of 

 structural details, and 87 outline tigures (text-cuts) was prepared and 

 sultmitted for publication.* A i)amphlet of instructions for collecting 

 and preserving specimens of birds (embracing 27 ]ninted i»;iges) was 

 also prepared for publication. t 



Several collections of birds sent to us for the purpose by the Na- 

 tional IVIuseum of Costa Eica were carefully worked up, the result be- 

 ing the description and publication of a number of interesting new 

 species. A fine collection from the interior of Hoiuluras was also 

 worked up with similai' results. Several collections from Africa, nota- 

 l)ly a large and particularly fine one from the Kdima-NJaro district, 

 made and presented to the National Museum by Dr. W. L. Abbott, has 

 received as much attention as time would permit. 



Many specimens were during the year submitted to the curator for 

 determination by Dr. Merriam, Ornithologist of the Department of 

 Agriculture,^ 



During four days of November the eighth congress <»f the American 

 Ornithologists' Union was held in Washington, the oftice of the curator 

 of the department of birds being headquarters for the members, and 



* Published in Kep. Nat. Mus., 1890. 



t Published as Part A of Bulletin 39, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



t This has also been the case during previous years (since the organization of the 

 division of economic ornithology and mammalogy, but mention of the fact was over- 

 looked in my reports. 



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