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



MUSEUM, 1887. 



By Tarleton H. Bean, M. D., Curator. 



GENERAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR'S WORK. 



Much time has been devoted to the identification of collections made 

 in various parts of the world by correspondents of the Museum. This 

 will be more particularly referred to in another part of this report. 



Until the month of October I was much occupied with editorial work 

 upon Museum publications and upon the reports of collectors in the 

 service of other bureaus of the Government. After this time I was re- 

 lieved of this duty by Mr. A. Howard Clark. 



In preparing a sketch of the history of the collection of fishes.it be- 

 came desirable to prepare a geographical list of the principal sources 

 from which fishes were received from 1851-1886, and to make a census 

 of the collection now in the possession of the Museum. It was found 

 that the Museum now has upwards of 24,000 jars of fishes, besides 208 

 tanks, 4 barrels, and a lot of stuffed skins, drawings, color sketches, and 

 casts. The number of specimens in the collection must be not less than 

 100,000, which is probably the greatest number possessed by any mu- 

 seum in the world. 



Messrs. B. A. Bean and Peter Parker, jr., besides attending to their 

 usual routine work, have been employed in adding to the bibliography 

 of ichthyology with particular reference to deep sea species, and pre- 

 paring copies of the original descriptions of species. In connection with 

 this same work I have prepared a list of the deep-sea fishes, which is 

 now almost completed. A comparison of the results of deep-sea explo- 

 rations conducted by foreign Governments with those obtained by the 

 United States Government reveals the fact that so far as the fishes are 

 concerned we have brought to light more new forms than all the other 

 Governments combined. 



The curator has prepared descriptions of new fishes from Mexico, re- 

 ceived from Prof. A. Duges, and in connection with Mr. Goode has pub- 

 lished a paper on new genera and species of deep-sea fishes collected 

 by the steamer Blake. Work has also been continued upon other re- 

 ports, which will be referred to under special researches. 



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