REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. a9 
the contents of which were much shifted during the year. The work 
of dismounting the large number of birds withdrawn from exhibi- 
tion was continued by contract with very excellent results, and much 
labor was expended in properly relabeling about 700 birds. thus 
returned to the reserve series. The search for type specimens was 
also continued, and several were discovered, notably the type of 
Girard’s [cterus auduboni, which had long been considered lost. 
The osteological series was systematically arranged in the cases 
provided for the purpose, the loose bones were numbered, and the 
material was partly cleaned. The drawers were temporarily labeled 
to show the orders and families contained in each, and the skeletons 
received from the preparators the previous year were catalogued and 
numbered, but not distributed. About 200 birds’ eggs were placed in 
their cases, but most of the accessions of eggs were left for attention 
at a future time. 
Part 6 of the great work on the Birds of North and Middle Amer- 
ica, by Mr. Robert Ridgway, the curator of the division, was pub- 
lished on April 8, 1914. In spite of continued ill health, Mr. Ridg- 
way has also made material progress in the preparation of manu- 
script for the parts to follow. Several of the orders and higher 
groups to be included in part 7 have been elaborated, and the syn- 
onymy and references for various groups not only in this, but in 
subsequent parts as well, have been worked up. On account of the 
pressure of routine duties Dr. C. W. Richmond, the assistant curator, 
could give but little time to research work. He saw part 6 of Bul- 
letin 50 through the press, supplying and verifying references and 
helping to prepare the index. In these tasks he was assisted by the 
aid of the division, Mr. J. H. Riley, who was also of much help to 
Mr. Ridgway in compiling references and measuring specimens. 
Dr. E. A. Mearns continued his studies of east African birds, with 
particular reference to the ornithological results of the Smithsonian 
and Frick expeditions, and he was given special assistance during 
several months for measuring and cataloguing specimens. Thirty- 
six new forms were described by him in publications issued during 
the year. Mr. A. C. Bent, of Taunton, Mass., also made progress 
with his work on the life histories of North American birds. 
The facilities offered by the division were constantly utilized by 
the staff of the Biological Survey. Mr. Alex Wetmore exam- 
ined the skeletons of passerine birds and incidentally aided very 
materially in rearranging and putting this part of the collection in 
order. Mr. H. C. Oberholser completed a monograph on the goat- 
suckers of the genus Chordeiles and a review of the forms of Ento- 
mothera, a genus of kingfishers, basing his observations chiefly on 
Museum material. He also continued his investigations of East 
Indian birds, largely contributed by Dr. W. L. Abbott. In addi- 
