REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS IN THE U. S, NATIONAL 



MUSEUM, 1887. 



By Robert Ridgway, Curator. 



The character of work accomplished during the year has not differed 

 materially from that of preceding years. 



During the fourth annual meeting of the American Ornithologists' 

 Union, held November 16 to 18, inclusive, in the lecture hall of the 

 National Museum, the gallery of the Department of Birds was thrown 

 open to the assembled members of the union, who daily made profitable 

 use of the library and collections in connection with the objects of the 

 meeting and their researches as ornithologists. 



In October, 1886, the Government of Costa Eica sent to Washington 

 Mr. Anastasio Alfaro as their accredited representative, to study the 

 business methods and arrangement of collections in the U. S. National 

 Museum. Being particularly interested in ornithology, Mr. Alfaro 

 spent a very considerable part of his time in the Department of Birds, 

 where he was shown every courtesy and extended every facility for 

 familiarizing himself with the methods of the department. Since his re- 

 turn to Costa Eica that Government has formally established a national 

 museum at the capital, San Jose, of which Mr. Alfaro was made secre- 

 tary. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS. 



In regard to the character of routine work in connection with the 

 arrangement and classification of the collection and in the preparation 

 of the exhibition and study series ther,e has been no change from the 

 work of preceding years, there being no opportunity, in the absence of 

 many facilities which are deemed desirable, for inaugurating any im- 

 provements in the condition or arrangement of the collection. 



The taxidermist has performed the work here indicated : 



Birds mounted for exhibition series 262 



Mounted birds put on new stands 455 



Ne w stands put together 451 



Birds skinned (including mounted specimens made over into skins) 103 



95 



