REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 31 



Rev. James Hadfield and Mrs. Hadtield at Lifou Island, Loyalty Group, central 

 Pacific Ocean. Most of these have but recently been descriljed, and nearly all are 

 new to the collection. A number of valuable river mussels from the Southern States, 

 including a number of types of species described by Mr. B. H. AVright, of Penn Yan, 

 New York, have been received from the latter. 



Large and valuable collections of hemiptera, hymenoptera, siphonaptera, and 

 inallophaga were presented by Prof. Carl F. Baker, of Auburn, Alabama. Mr. W. H. 

 Ashmead has presented his private collection of insects, which is especially rich in 

 type material and includes not less than 60,000 specimens. Prof. V. L. Kellogg, of 

 the Leland Stanford Junior University, gave 60 microscopical preparations of 

 mallophaga, mounted on glass slides. 



Eighty species of brachyuran and anomuran crustaceans were received in exchange 

 from the Museum of Natural History, Paris; and 47 species of decapod crustaceans 

 were acquired from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 

 in exchange. 



Five skins of the California condor were obtained by purchase. INIr. Paul D. 

 Bergen, of Chefoo, China, sent 48 skins of Chinese birds in exchange. From the 

 Albany Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa, 29 bird skins were received, and 

 Prof. M. F. Colunga, Lima, Peru, transmitted 24 Peruvian skins in exchange for 

 other material. Skins from New Zealand, Colombia, and China were received, 

 respectively, from Messrs. L. T. Ayson, ]\Iasterton, New Zealand; Mr. Outram 

 Bangs, Boston, Massachusetts, and Mr. George D. Wilder, Pekin, China. One 

 hundred and eighty-four bird skins from various localities in the United States were 

 presented by Dr. E. A. Mearns, U. S. A. Dr. W. L. Ralph contributed 207 birds' 

 eggs, and 127 eggs were received from Prof. C. F. Baker. 



In the Division of Comparative Anatomy the most important accession was a small 

 collection of mounted skeletons of cartilaginous fishes purchased for use in connec- 

 tion with the exhibit at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, held in Omaha. 



A series of fishes from northern and central Asia was received in exchange from 

 the Museum of Natural History, Paris; a specimen of Icosteus senHjmatlcus was pre- 

 sented by Mr. John Chapman, San Diego, California, and a specimen of RJiamphocot- 

 tus, from the coast of Washington, by Mr. O. E. Shaffer, Port Townsend, Washing- 

 ton. Type specimens of several species of fishes were transmitted by the U. S. Fish 

 Commission. 



A series of 1,049 specimens of plants, collected in Florida in 1843-1849, was received 

 from the British Museum (Natural History) . Five hundred specimens of Samoan 

 plants, 674 Colorado plants, and about 2,500 Mexican plants were obtained by pur- 

 chase. Mr. J. G. Baker, London, England, presented a portion of his private her- 

 barium. Seven hundred plants from the Gulf coast were purchased and 300 specimens 

 from southern Florida were collected by Mr. C. L. Pollard. 



A large number of reptiles and batrachians, collected in various parts of the world 

 l)y field parties of the Fish Commission, were transferred to the INIuseum. This col- 

 lection embraces much material valuable in connection with the study of geographical 

 distribution and individual variation. One of the most interesting specimens was a 

 discoglossoid toad, described by Dr. Stejneger under the name Ascaphns truei. An 

 interesting collection of reptiles from Java, collected by Mr. D. G. Fairchild, was 

 received from the Department of Agriculture. 



A collection consisting of 80 specimens of P^nropean bats, and another consisting 

 of 52 ppecimens of Norwegian mammals, were purchased. Bai'on E. de Selys-Long- 

 chanips, of Liege, Belgium, presented 24 European mammals. An Asiatic elephant, 

 a lion, and numerous other mammals were received from the National Zoological 

 Park. 



Geology. — The largest accessions in the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology were 

 those from the U. S. Geological Survey, comprising between six and seven thou- 



