DEPAETMENT OF MOLLUSKS. 161 



at least theoretically. When received, this will add more largely to 

 the material in the hands of the department of mollusks than any other 

 accession for some years. As its reception is a matter of uncertainty, 

 owing to the fact that the time when Professor Verrill's report on the 

 Moilusca of the Fish Commission will be ready is entirely uncertain, I 

 would renew my suggestion of previous years that a proper series of 

 specimens for study and comparison be sent from Kew Haven to the 

 National Museum, where it is much needed. At present, with the mass 

 of work pressing upon the Department of Mollusks, it is not desirable, 

 even had Professor Verrill concluded his investigations, to have the 

 whole mass of the Fish Commission material added to what must be 

 administered upon. The material received from New Haven up to this 

 date, excepting Cephalopods in alcohol, is largely duplicate and of 

 little or no value to the national collection. But for scientific study and 

 comparison it is important that a named series of the New England 

 deep-water and shore fauna, as determined by Professor Verrill, 1872 

 to 1 887, should be accessible to students in Washington. 



The total number of accessions to this department during the year is 

 fifty-two. Of these, fifteen lots were sent for examination and report, 

 two were received in the regular course from Government agencies, 

 eight were received in exchange either for material already furnished 

 or which has been subsequently furnished partly by the Department of 

 Mollusks and partly by other departments of the Museum. The re- 

 mainder were donations. Of these the Isaac Lea collection was the most 

 important and the largest. The next largest accession was that of some 

 sixteen boxes, chiefly of Pliocene fossils from California, received from 

 the U. S. Geological Survey, and collected by Dr. R. E. C. Stearns. 

 Dr. Stearns has also given a large number of miscellaneous specimens, 

 which he obtained during his absence on field-work and which were 

 very acceptable. A valuable though small collection was obtained in 

 exchange from the Museum of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Con- 

 necticut. The specimens were from various localities and to a consider- 

 able extent filled gaps in the National Collection of mollusks. A lot of 

 some twenty supposed new species of Unio^ from Florida, was presented 

 by Mr. B. H. Wright, of Penn Yan, New York, most of which were 

 new to the collection. The curator gave some two hundred and fifty 

 species of mostly marine shells to the Museum during the year, nearly 

 all being hew or important to the collection. A collection of interesting 

 south European and Turkistan shells were received in exchange from 

 Herr Otto Goldfuss, to whom American land shells were sent. Most of 

 the species sent by Herr Goldfuss were already in the collection, but 

 the localities were interesting and enlarged our geographical series. 

 Mr. Nicholas Grebnitski, of the Commander Islands, near Kamchatka, 

 continued his sending of moilusca, and a package received from him 

 during the year contained very interesting specimens from that remote 

 corner of the world and added several species to its known mollusk- 

 H. Mis. 142, pt. 2 11 



