United States Exploring Expedition. 15 



The following is the number of zoological drawings made du- 

 ring the cruise, in the departments of science here enumerated : 



Reptiles, 75 species. 



Fish, 260 " 



Mollusca, (shells with the animals,) 500 " 

 Zoophytes, (exclusive of corals,) 350 " 



Corals, 140 " 



Crustacea, . . . . 500 " 



The variety and beauty of marine animals in the coral seas 

 of the Pacific are beyond description. Like birds in our for- 

 ests, fish of brilliant colors sport among the coral groves, and 

 various mollnsca cover the bottom with living flowers. A new 

 world of beings is here opened to an inhabitant of our cold cli- 

 mate ; and many of these productions are so unlike the ordinary 

 forms of life, that it is difficult without seeing them, to believe 

 in their existence. Those that have looked over the beautiful 

 colored drawings by the artists of the expedition, are aware that 

 this description falls short of the truth. 



A large number of new species yet remain to be drawn. While 

 there were so many things requiring immediate attention, it was 

 impossible to sketch all, and those were selected for sketching on 

 the spot, whose forms and colors were most liable to change. 



Ten thousand species of plants, and upwards of fifty thousand 

 specimens, constitute the herbarium of the expedition. The fol- 

 lowing catalogue gives the number of species collected at the 

 several places visited : 



Madeira, . . 300 Feejee Islands, . 786 



Cape Yerds, . . 60 Coral Islands, . 29 



Brazil, ... 980 Sandwich Islands, . 883 



Rio Negro (Patagonia), 150 Oregon, . . 1218 



Tierra del Fuego, . 220 California, . . 519 



Chili, ... 442 Manilla, . . 381 



Peru, . . . 820 Singapore, . . 80 



Tahiti, . . . 288 Mindanao, . . 102 



Samoa (Navigator Ids.), 457 Sooloo Islands, . 58 



New South Wales, 787 Mangsi Islands, . 80 



New Zealand, . 398 Cape of Good Hope, 300 



Auckland Islands, . 50 St. Helena, . . 20 



Tongatabu, . . 236 9646 



