226 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



the Kevemie-Mariiie Service, tlie Department of Agriculture, and also 

 by si)ecial expeditions. 



The number of registrations shown in the table is about the same 

 as in recent years, and 1 am glad to be able to state that we are visibly 

 approaching a point when we shall be able to see the end of the ancient 

 arrearages of wliicli such a mass existed a few years ago. Once cleared 

 away the departnuMit, as at present constituted, will be able to keep 

 abreast of the accessions with ordinary diligence, to systematize our 

 duplicate material, ascertain what are the important gaps in oui- collec- 

 tion, and take the necessary steps for filling them. Already our collec- 

 tion ranks among the most imi)ortant in the world, and if two or three 

 other collections surpass it in some respects, there is no existing collec- 

 tion which it does not surpass from many other standpoints, especially 

 as regards the scientific dr.ta associated with the material it contains 

 and the thorougli system of registration and identification applied to 

 the specimens. I think 1 may say that there is no collectictii affording 

 greater faeilities for the scientific use of the material it contains. ITn- 

 fortunately, our library lacks many of the most important works (mmol- 

 lusks, and several of those which we possess are practically inacessible 

 for want of binding. Without the private library of the curator very 

 little work could be done, and many of the more important recent works 

 are inaccessible in any of the libraries in this city. I may call attention 

 here to the fact that many of the conchological publications of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution are i^ractically out of i)rint, and that every few days 

 applications are made, in the vain hope of obtaining them, by students 

 in the various parts of the country. It is to be hoped that some of 

 them, such as the "Mollusks of Western North America," by Car- 

 l)enter, and Tryon's " Strepomatidie," may be soon reprinted for the use 

 of student!?. 



A number of papers haxe been published during the i)ast year by 

 the writer and by Dr. Stearns, a list of which will be found in the 

 Bibliography (Section iv). The most important of these, x)erhaps, is 

 Part 1 of the writer's report on theTertiarylMollusks of Florida, issued 

 in September, 18*.>0, by the Wagner Free Institute of Science, Philadel- 

 phia. Part II Avill follow at a convenient date. 



A large part of the curator's time has been devoted to the prepara- 

 tion of a general report on the Neocene formations of the United States 

 for the U. S. Geological Survey. Tliis has been cojupleted, and is now 

 in the printer's hands. Dr. Stearns has devoted much time to an 

 investigaticm of the mollusksof the Galapagos Islands, and the manu- 

 script is nearly ready for publication. 



ACCESSIONS DURING THE YEAR. 



The number of accessions during the year was 79. In 1889-'00 the 

 number was 46. It will be observed that the number of accessions is 

 nearly double that of la«t year, and I may add that the amount ot 

 material is also considerably greater and more valuable. 



