13 
and Crustacea, and Mr. Fewkes has done the same with the Ra- 
diates. This now leaves in the basement only the alcoholic 
collections of Birds and Mammals, which have not yet been 
thoroughly examined; the other alcoholic collections having 
all received the revision they so greatly needed. 
I may mention among the more important accessions, ex- 
changes with the Museums of Bergen, Milan, Gottingen, and the 
British Museum. From the “ Challenger” office we have received 
a series of duplicates of their Stalked Crinoids, in exchange fora 
similar series of the “* Blake” expedition, intended for the British 
Museum. From the Paris Museum we have received a collec- 
tion of Patagonian birds, — a valuable addition to our American 
faunal series. We have continued a general system of ex- 
changes with the Smithsonian, as well as, to a limited extent, our 
purchases from Professor Ward, the principal additions belong- 
ing to the African Faunal Room. We have also received in 
exchange casts from the Museums of Oxford and of Munich. A 
collection of Palzozoic Fossils was made by our collector, under 
the direction of Mr. C. D. Walcott, in the Eureka District, with 
the permission of Major Powell, the Director of the Geological 
Survey. 
During my visit to the Sandwich Islands I devoted consider- 
able time to the study of the recent and extinct reefs of the 
group, and am now preparing a short paper on the subject for 
the Museum Bulletin. JI made an extensive and interesting 
collection of the various limestones characteristic of the modern 
and ancient reefs. 
From the Peabody Museum of Salem we have received in 
exchange the most important addition to our Entomological 
Department ever received. It contains a large number of types 
described by prominent American and European entomologists. 
I must confess that I accepted this collection with great reluc- 
tance, as it will involve a considerable outlay in the way of 
boxes and cabinets, as well as a good part of the time of the 
Assistants of the department to preserve it from deteriorating. 
The same is true for other collections we have received, and 
which do not all fill some important gap. A few such additions, 
entailing increased expense and care, will materially cripple the 
usefulness of the institution. It becomes a serious question how 
far we can allow our resources to be absorbed in the future by 
