REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF MOLLUSKS. 113 



groups from the Tertiary of France, obtained in exchange from M. E. 

 de Boury; four hundred species of Pliocene fossils, and many species 

 from older rocks, with a large collection of mollusks obtained by the 

 curator during field-work in south Florida under the auspices of the U. 

 S. Geological Survey ; a small collection, representing eight species 

 from Bennett Island in the Polar Sea, collected during the Jeannette 

 expedition and presented by E. L. Newcomb, naturalist of the expe- 

 dition ; twenty specimens from Enoshima Island, Japan, presented by 

 Mr. P. L. Jouy, containing some very acceptable rarities ; seventy-six 

 species of Mexican shells, presented by the Mexican Geological Com- 

 mission j some interesting fresh-water shells, from H. A. Pilsbry ; a 

 valuable series of specimens dredged in the Gulf of Mexico and the 

 Bahamas, partly in very deep water, and presented by Dr. W. H. 

 Bush, U. S. Navy ; a small but interesting collection of shells from 

 South America, and pelagic mollusks, from W. E. Safford, U. S. Navy ; 

 a number of acceptable species from the southern coast of the United 

 States and Honduras, presented by Charles T. Simpson ; eleven boxes 

 of fossils aud rocks containing fossils, from the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey, through W. H. Dall ; and eighty-four very beautifully preserved 

 species of land and fresh-water shells of the Southern United States, 

 by A. G. Wetherby, of Boan Mountain, North Carolina. Contrary to 

 our usual experience, nothing of importance has been received from 

 the U. S. Fish Commission during the year. 



The work of the past year was chiefly devoted to the administration 

 upon the marine forms of West America, the preliminary arrangement 

 of which has been completed; to the unpacking and arrangement of 

 the Indo Pacific series of the Stearns collection ; the selection and ar- 

 rangement of the Floridian Tertiary and the general East American 

 series ; preparation of material for exchanges chiefly in favor of other 

 departments of the Museum ; and the assistance of students and cor- 

 respondents desiring names of species or other information of use in 

 their studies. A report was made and printed on the Blake brachio- 

 pods and pelecypods, which is more fully described in the list of pub. 

 lications appended to this report. A collection brought by the Mexi- 

 can Geographical Commission was named for them, and will serve as a 

 basis for future study to the conchologists of Mexico. 



Information or assistance of more or less importance, involving the 

 writing of letters to the number of some 350, was furnished by the De- 

 partment of Mollusks to the following persons : 



Agassiz, Prof. A., Cambridge, Mass. 

 Aldrich, T. H., Cincinnati, Ohio. 

 Beecher, C. E., Albany, New York. 

 Binney, W. G., Burlington, New Jersey. 

 Boury, E. de, Vigny, France. 

 Cooper, J. Y., Haywards, California. 



H. Mis. COO, pt. 2 8 



Diller, J. S., U. S. Geological Survey. 

 Dominion Geological Survey, Ottawa, 



Canada. 

 Duges, Prof. Alfred, Mexico. 

 Flint, Dr. Earl, Nicaragua. 

 Greegor, Isaiab, Jacksonville, Florida. 



