DEPARTMENT OF MOLLUSKS. 163 



Prof. Alex. Agassiz, Cambridge, Massachusetts ; Mr. C. E. Beecher, 

 New Haven, Oomiecticut; Dr. Stephen Bowers, San Buenaventura, 

 California; Dr. J. G. Cooper, Hay wards, Colorado; Dr. Geo. M. Daw- 

 son, Ottawa, Ontario ; Mr. R. T. Jackson, Cambridge, Massachusetts ; 

 Mr. J. Gr. Henderson, Carrollton, Illinois ; Dr. Paul Pelseneer, Brus- 

 sels, Belgium ; Mr. H. A. Pilsbry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mr. H. 

 Hemphill, San Diego, California ; Lieut. J. F. Moser, U. S. Navy ; Dr. 

 W. H. Rush, U. S. Navy; Mr. Chas. T. Simpson, Ogallala, Nebraska; 

 Mr. J. H. Singiey, Giddings, Texas ; Dr. V. Sterki, New Philadelphia, 

 Ohio; Mr. J. L. Tilton, Middletowu, Connecticut; Mr. R. P. Whitfield, 

 New York City ; Mr. B. H. Wright, Penn Yan, New York. 



The limited time for research afforded by the duties of the curator 

 has been devoted (1) to investigations in regard to the deep-sea mollusks 

 collected by the BlaJce and Albatross on the eastern coast of the United 

 States and the Antilles; (2) to a study of the fauna of the Miocene 

 silex-beds of Tampa Bay, Florida, and of the Pliocene of south Flor- 

 ida, and (3) to the relations of the members of the Tertiary mollusk 

 fauna with the recent species of the coast. 



The papers published during the year 1887-88 by the curator and his 

 associates are noticed in the Bibliograi)hy, section iv of the Report. 



In previous reports I have stated why it is impossible to give the 

 exact number of specimens, species, duplicates, etc., contained in the 

 collection. In my last report (1886-'87) I made the rough estimate that 

 the collection contained 425,000 specimens of all sorts. Since that time 

 about 30,000 specimens have been received. The total number of entries 

 in the Museum register or catalogue for 1886-87 was 10,530, while for 

 1887-'88 the number is 11,804. Had we had adequate clerical assist- 

 ance the number might easily have been doubled. As it is it repre- 

 sents about 35,000 separate - specimens, classified, labeled, arranged, 

 and entered in the register. Omitting a series of about 1,500 duplicate 

 entries which was mado by Dr. Lewis in 1876 in revising the Unionidce 

 belonging to the National Collection, and all numbers assigned to Pro- 

 fessor Yerrill for his use in cataloguing the Fish Commission dredgings, 

 and of which th» entries have not yet been reported to this department, 

 though in his possession for use in due course, the total number of 

 registrations to date is 81,911, representing about 250,000 specimens, 

 which have been administered upon, and for the most part are arranged 

 in such a way as to be accessible for study. The largest collection out- 

 side of the National Museum in this country is supposed to be that of 

 the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and they are reported 

 to possess about 52,000 trays or lots, corresponding to our registration 

 numbers, or 156,000 registered specimens, against 250,000 in the 

 National Museum, in round numbers. But when we reflect that only 

 one-eighth of the Jeffreys collection has been registered, none of the 

 Arctic- Alaskan collection, and but a very small part of ihe, Antillean 

 collection of the Fish Commission, or of the Lc^a collection, it is evident, 



