36 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1918. 



skins, 44 alcoholics and skeletons, 128 eggs, and 8 nests. Among 

 them are several undescribed species from the outlying island of 

 Gonave, as well as a number of specimens, skins, and alcoholics of 

 the genus Lawreiicia, the type of which in the National Museum, 

 though described in 1875, was unique until 1916, so that it may now 

 be possible to definitely ascertain the true relationship of this rare 

 bird. West African material has hitherto been very scant in the 

 Museum, and in addition the few specimens here were mostly lack- 

 ing in essential data. The accession, therefore, of 418 skins, 5 skele- 

 tons, 4 eggs, and 1 nest, from Fernan Vaz, French Congo, all care- 

 fully prepared and well labeled by Mr. C. E. W. Aschemeier, the 

 Museum's representative with the Collins- Garner Congo expedition, 

 is exceedingly welcome. It contains 10 or more species hitherto 

 not possessed by the Museum, and at least one genus, Ilylia, The 

 collection of Chinese birds was increased by 536 skins collected by 

 Mr. A. de C. Sowerby in the northern part of China, which sup- 

 plements the previous series and adds two species to the Museum. 

 The acquisition of species hitherto unrepresented in the Museum 

 was further augmented by the purchase of a small collection chiefly 

 of bulbuls, containing 20 species and 2 genera, and by an exchange 

 with the Public Library Museum and Art Gallery of Western 

 Australia, at Perth, which added 10 species and 6 genera. Mr. 

 Alexander Wetmore, of Washington, donated the type of a new 

 subspecies of the little yellow bittern from the Philippines, described 

 by him during the year. Of North American birds received mention 

 should be made of a series of 75 well-prepared skins and 20 skele- 

 tons from southern California, collected and presented by Mr. Ed- 

 ward J. Brown, collaborator of the Museum. 



A large and valuable collection of American and foreign bird 

 eggs, numbering some 12,000 specimens, was received as a deposit 

 from Dr. T. W. Pdchards, United States Navy. 



The rearrangement of the study series of skins, which has been 

 in progress as opportunity permitted for the past 10 years, was 

 completed, 32 half-unit cases having been received and utilized. In 

 the meantime, much material belonging to the families first worked 

 over, including large collections from Africa, Celebes, China, and 

 other regions, has accumulated, which will necessitate the interpola- 

 tion and the consequent expansion of a large portion of the storage. 

 A very important work was accomplished when 12 of T. K. Peale's 

 types were identified, due to the fortunate discovery of an old manu- 

 script catalogue of specimens of the United States Exploring Ex- 

 pedition, and these, with three other types so recovered, were properly 

 labeled and placed in the type cases. The search for old type speci- 

 mens continues, Mr. Alexander Wetmore determined material 



