REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES. 201 



reckon of proofs of the same, has occupied much of the curator's time, 

 bul unavoidable delays prevented the issuing of any of these reports 

 during L884. 



The collection of Aitaoida (cray-flshes) lent to Prof Walter Faxon, of 

 Harvard College, for study, in the winter of l882-'83, was returned to 

 the Museum in June last, fully identified. This collection is now one of 

 tne most complete in the world, especially as regards North American 

 forms, containing 46 speoies (44 being North American), of which 9 are 

 new to science, having been described by Professor Faxon during the 

 vear in the Proceedings Of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 

 Vol. XX. The total number of jars in the collection is 210, and of speci- 

 mens 1,084, many of the species being represented from several localities. 



Mr. John Murdoch, one of the naturalists of the U. S. Signal Service 

 expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska, from 1881 to 1883, was engaged 

 at the Smithsonian Institution during the winter and spring in working 

 up the collection of marine invertebrates obtained by that expedition. 

 This collection was found to contain 110 species, as follows: Pycnogo- 

 nida, 2j Crustacea, 44, of which 7 are new; Vermes, 20, of which 1 is 

 new; Eehinodermata, 17; Airthozoa, 4; Hydrozoa, 17; Tunicata, (>; 

 Brachiopoda, 1 ; Polyzoa, 5; and Porifera, 3. It is now in the posses- 

 sion of the Museum. A preliminary account of the new species has been 

 presented for publication in the Proceedings of the Museum, and a com- 

 plete report upon the collection is in the hands of the Public Printer, as 

 part of the "Beport of the International Polar Expedition to Point 

 Barrow, Alaska, by First Lieut. P. H.Ray, Eighth Infantry, acting sig- 

 nal officer, commander of the expedition." 



PRESENT STATE OF THE COLLECTIONS. 



The collections belonging to this department are new in exceptionally 

 good condition, although, from the want of sufficient storage space, they 

 are not, for the most part, suitably arranged for convenience of refer- 

 ence. As above noted, materials have lately been received in such 

 large quantities as to necessitate the constant attention of the small 

 force assigned to this work iu order to provide for their safety; and the 

 careful preservation of specimens, rather than their scientific classifica- 

 tion, has been the chief endeavor. Much has been accomplished, how- 

 ever, in the working up of certain portions of the collections, and as a 

 large proportion of the materials turned in by the Fish Commission has 

 passed through the hands of specialists, the scientific value of the col- 

 lectious now in the department is very great. Nearly all the specimens 

 received have been catalogued in the record books, and of all properly 

 Identified collections card catalogues have been made and are arranged 

 in systematic order. 



Most of the alcoholic specimens are stored in the basement of the 

 Smithsonian Institution. The small room in the west basement, origi- 

 nally assigned to this department, is now completely tilled with jars and 



