REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1908. 47 
Doctor Dall completed a work on the mollusks and brachiopods 
collected by the Bureau of Fisheries steamer Albatross in the eastern 
Pacific Ocean under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Agassiz, and 
also several papers on new mollusks obtained by the steamer Alba- 
tross in 1906 and by correspondents on the Pacific coast. The paper 
on Pyramidellids: by Doctor Dall and Doctor Bartsch, mentioned in 
the report of last year, was printed and distributed. 
Marine invertebrates.—In the divison bearing this title, which com- 
prises the several groups of invertebrate animals other than insects 
and mollusks, an especially noteworthy event was the receipt from 
Prof. A. E. Verrill, of Yale University, of the greater part of the col- 
lection which has been in his custody for the past twenty years and 
more. As explained in the last report, this material was mainly 
derived from the marine explorations of the U. S. Fish Commission 
on the New England coast between IS7L and 1887, and represented 
all classes of marine invertebrates. Its study and description were 
intrusted to Professor Verrill, who was to receive the first set of dupli- 
cates for his services in leu of a salary. His investigations are still 
incomplete, and the division of specimens effected during the year 
was chiefly confined to those that had been named. The two assistant 
curators of the divison were kept fully oecupied with this work at 
New Haven from April to November, 1907, and the sorting and 
arrangement of the specimens after their return extended through 
several months. The transfer of this material to Washington has 
enriched the collections in both this division and that of mollusks 
to a remarkable extent. The records show that the number of speci- 
mens received was about 73,000, comprised in 18,315 lots, while 654 
species, of which 191 are mollusks, were added to those previously 
received from the investigations of the Fish Commission. In this 
latter number are included the types or cotypes of 355 species, of which 
176 are mollusks. To simply label and record this vast collection 
required the services of two expert cataloguers for seven and one-half 
months. 
The Bureau of Fisheries transmitted large numbers of holothu- 
rians, sea urchins, starfishes, crinoids, and corals from the Hawatian 
Islands, Alaska, California, and the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and 
parasitic copepods and annelids from Japan. Among these were the 
type specimens of many new species. A collection of Japanese cri- 
noids, containing 131 specimens and the types of three new species, 
was purchased of Mr. Alan Owston and deposited in the Museum by 
the Honorable Frank Springer, of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Ninety- 
five specimens of crinoids, representing 15 species, were obtained 
from the Museum of Comparative Zoology in exchange, and 41 
specimens of isopods, comprising 13 species, from East Africa and 
82065—09—4 
