United States National Museum. 641 



of water-birds and waders, were obtained from Mr. Edward 

 J. Brown^ of Washington, partly by gift and partly by 

 })urchase. In the course of a hunting trip to the coast of 

 South Carolina near Charleston, lasting five weeks, Dr. E. 

 A. Mearns (United States Array), Mr. J. 11. Riley, and 

 Mr. E. J. Brown made for the Museum an interesting 

 collection consisting of 607 skins, 52 eggs, and 2 nests^ 

 including topotypes of numerous species originally described 

 from the drawings of Mark Catesby. Several important 

 forms new to the Museum and desired for the exhibition 

 series were purchased. Among them are two Birds of 

 Paradise, Astrapia rothschildi and Parotia carolce, a Horn- 

 bill, Rhyticeros narcondami, a Jay, Lalocitta lidthi, and 

 specimens of Globicera ivilkesi, Globicera aurorcp., and other 

 species from Polynesia. 



The reserve collection of bird-skins and eggs occupies 

 420 large standard cases. The rearrangement of the skins, 

 Avhich had become exceedingly crowded in their quarters 

 in the Smithsonian building, was completed for 96 cases, 

 52 of which were also furnished with case labels. Labels 

 indicating the contents of each drawer were prepared for 

 the North American eggs, and a beginning was made in 

 assembling the data for those required for the skins. 

 Specimen labels were written for about 2,700 skins. Some 

 3,500 mounted specimens withdrawn trom exhibition several 

 years ago were examined, and those considered desirable to 

 return to the reserve series were set aside for dismounting. 

 About 30 types reclaimed from the general collection were 

 suitably labelled and placed in the type cases. The 

 alcoholic specimens, now stored on the ground floor in the 

 same compartment as the reptiles, were extensively reno- 

 vated and rearranged, and much was done toward com- 

 pleting their labelling and recording. The collection of 

 skeletons, skulls, and sterna remains to be overhauled. The 

 card catalogue serving as an index to the alcoholic speci- 

 mens and skeletons has, to a large extent, been verified and 

 the nomenclature revised. 



