160 KEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888, 



neat preparation. There were fossils of all ages ; not the least interest- 

 ing were specimens received from Dr. E. Emmons himself, from the 

 original localities, of forms illustrative of the Taconic formation. There 

 was also a fine series of plant fossils, chiefly of the Coal Measures. 

 These varied materials have been distributed to the curators who prop 

 erly take in charge such objects, the tertiary fossils aud recent shells 

 falling to the department of mollusks. The typical collectiou of Dnios, 

 which is without doubt the most valuable in existence, was kept by 

 Dr. Lea in table cases or drawers with the specimens arranged in a 

 linear series, in the order adopted in his " Synopsis," last edition. They 

 were laid on strips of wood grooved longitudinally, were much crowded, 

 and occasionally somewhat displaced. Paper numbers and names cut 

 out of the Synopsis were fastened to the first specimen of each species 

 by a little wax. These, however, were often displaced, and were, when 

 in place, ready to fall at a touch. Most of the specimens had pencil 

 notes of locality, and often of the name, written by Dr. Lea on the in- 

 side of the shell. While it was easy for a skilled and careful person 

 on the spot to recover the identification and obtain the other data, if 

 the specimens had been packed without being registered and perma- 

 nently marked, their value as types would have been almost wholly 

 destroyed. In order that no misfortune of this sort should occur, I 

 personally examined and removed every specimen, identified, and per- 

 manently numbered it, and, when frail or broken, wrapped and boxed it. 

 This involved the writing of more than eighty-five thousand figures on 

 the shells themselves and the registration of some three thousand par- 

 cels of specimens, representing more than half as many species. The 

 labor was very arduous, but the specimens were permanently identified 

 and their typical value insured for the future. The gastropods and 

 other shells contained in the Lea collection were left to be registered 

 in Washington, each parcel being in a separate tray in Dr. Lea's col- 

 lection, accompanied by one or more manuscript labels. My estimate 

 of the number of specimens in the collection is about twenty thousand, 

 and there were sixty-three packing-cases required to hold them, exclu- 

 sive of duplicates, of which there were a great many. Oases to hold this 

 collection have been provided, in accordance with Dr. Lea's will, and as 

 soon as the projected repairs are completed the northeast gallery will 

 be reserved for this series and other land and fresh- water shells, and 

 thrown open to the public. The miscellaneous land and fresh-water 

 shells given by Dr. Lea are numerous and valuable, including the second 

 best existing series of Cuming's Philippine laud shells, of rare beauty, 

 and fine original series of land shells from Maderia, Jamaica, and other 

 localities, named by .Lowe, C. B. Adams, and other authorities, and 

 therefore having for their own species a really typical importance. It 

 ;s understood that, in accordance with law and by direction of the U. 

 S. Fish Commission, the collectiou of Invertebrata, now at Kew Haven, 

 in charge of Prof. A. E. Verrill, has been turned over to the Museum, 



