98 EEPOET ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1885. 



Mr. Alphonse Forrer sent 23 species of fishes of Northwestern Mex- 

 ico, collected at Eio Presidio, Mazatlau, and Tres Marias Islands, repre- 

 senting the following genera : Balistes, Culms, Uleotris, Gobius, Clinus, 

 Salarias, FseudojuKs, Heros, Gerres, Corvina, Solocentrum, Mulloides, 

 PrisUpoma, Hccmulon, Lutjanus, Centropomus, Sjphyrcena, Mugil, Mus- 

 telns, &c. 



Dr. T. B. Legare, of Camden, S. C, obtained the first specimen known 

 in that State of LahidestJies sicculus, Cope (Ace. 1G093; catalogue num- 

 ber 37200). This species, now known to occur in Florida and South 

 Carolina, was supposed to inhabit the Mississippi basin only. 



Dr. J. A. Watson obtained at Asheville, i?. C, a specimen of Jladrop- 

 terus aurantiacus, Cope (Ace. 15967 ; catalogue number 37175). This 

 has been noticed in Proceedings U. S. National Museum, 1885, pp. 165, 

 166, as the first occurrence of the species east of the Alleghanies. 



ROUTINE WORK. 



During the first six months of 1885, 297 entries were made in the cat- 

 alogue of fishes, the first entry in January being 36935, and the last one 

 in June, 37231. The duties of cataloguing and labeling specimens and 

 changing alcohol, &c., have been continued as usual with the assistance 

 of Messrs. B. A. Bean and Peter Parker. 



EXPLORATIONS. 



The number of outfits furnished for collectors was very small. 



Mr. C. C.Leslie, of Charleston, S. C, was furnished with an 8-gallon 

 tank of alcohol for collecting Charleston fishes, and Mr. Benjamin 

 Miller, of Georgetown, D. C, received a Baird seine and a tank of 

 alcohol for collecting fishes of the District of Columbia. 



The most important collections were made, as usual, by the vessels of 

 the U. S. Fish Commission. The Albatross collections, which are re- 

 ferred to in the list of accessions, are very large and important. The 

 curator was aboard this steamer from the 3d of January to the 20th of 

 February, during her work off the southern coast and in the West In- 

 dies, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, up to the time of her ar- 

 rival at New Orleans. He was sent out to make observations upon the 

 living specimens of deep-sea fishes and upon the southward range of 

 the east coast food-fishes. 



During the week spent at the island of Cozumel he had opportunity, 

 incidentally, of aiding Mr. Benedict in securing a large series of the 

 birds of that island, while the seining for fishes along shore yielded 

 57 species. 



At New Orleans a short time was spent in attaching descriptive labels 

 to casts of fishes in the exposition. 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF I'ISHES. 



Mr. H. L. Todd made 48 drawings and Miss Smith during the same 

 period completed 20 drawings, after which she was obliged to give up 

 the work on account of ill-health. 



