228 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



marl and gravel, yielding many hundreds of specimens, has been a«;com- 

 plished by Miss Beard and Mr. Burns during the year. The work of 

 answering queries on various subjects connected with mollusks, and 

 assisting students in different parts of the country to direct their stud- 

 ies and to identify their local faniue, lias always been regarded as 

 important, and was particularly referred to in the last report of the 

 curator. About 78 individuals were included in the list of those thus 

 communicj\ted with during that year, which was nearly double the num- 

 ber of the year i)receding. During the year 1<S90-'91, to which the pres- 

 ent report refers, the luimber of correspondents has been no less than 

 1G6, the correspondence including over 300 letters and GOO or 700 pages 

 of manuscript, besides the identification, or noting, of not less than 

 1,200 species of mollusks, Tliis work has been performed by the cura- 

 tor, assisted by Dr. Stearns and ?Ir. Simpson, without the advantage 

 of a stenographer or typewriter. It is obvious that if the work contin- 

 ues to increase in like ratio, additional facilities will be required. 



SPECIAL RESEARCHES. 



The bibliographical notices under the names Dall, Simpson, and 

 Stearns (see Section iv) wiW indicate the direction of the researches 

 carried on by the staff during the year. Most of the curator's time has 

 necessarily been devoted to a review of the state of our knowledge of 

 the later tertiary of the United States. This has been completed and 

 is in the printer's hands, but will not be included in the Bibliography 

 accompanying this volume. 



Dr. Stearns has continued his work on the shells of the Galapagos 

 and of the Avestern coast of South America, chiefly from the Albatross 

 voyage, but his ill-health has prevented its completion. 



Mr. Simpson continues to devote much of his leisure to a study of the 

 Florida Unios, aided by the types of the Lea collection and by nuiterial 

 derived from various sources. 



CONDITION OF THE COLLECTION. 



In previous reports it has been exi)lained why it is not yet possible to 

 give the exact number of species, specimens, duplicates, etc., contained 

 in the collection under ]ny charge. In my last report it was estimated 

 that the collection contained about 471,500 specimens, of which one- 

 fourth are preserved in alcohol. About 5,000 si)eciniens are estimated 

 to have been received during the year, which would unike a present 

 total of about 476,500 specimens. 



The number of entries in the registers for 1880-90 was 6,569. For the 

 present year it amounts to 5,7(>4, equivalent to about 17,292 specimens. 

 The total number of registrations to date, deducting all duplications 

 or omissions, is 100,667, representing 302,000 specimens. 



The number of workers and their distribution in different parts of the 



