REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



19 



Tbe following table shows the estimated numbers of the pinned and 

 mounted specimens in the collection: 



Hymenoptera 



Coleoptera 



Lepidoptera r » 



Diptera 



Hemiptera 



Orthoptera 



Neuroptera 



Arachnida and Myriapoda 



Insect architecture 



Miscellaneous (not yet arranged) 

 Galls and gall insects 



Total 



Boxes. 



66 



127 



338 



21 



59 



64 



14 



2 



16 



28 



31 



766 



Specimens. 



24, 796 



43, 613 



17, 098 



5,646 



8, 862 

 6,903 

 868 

 425 

 1,080 

 1,610 

 4,152 



115, 053 



Species. 



2,650 



6,558 



2,308 



699 



1,184 



560 



169 



110 



178 



178 



734 



15, 328 



In addition to these pinned specimens, the collection contains some 

 nineteen large boxes of alcoholic material, chiefly of the adolescent 

 states of insects, comprising some 2,850 vials, in many cases several 

 species being contained in a single vial. The collection contains a large 

 number of undescribed species in all orders. 



The early states of the minuter insects are mounted in balsam on slides 

 (1 by 3 inches), of which the collection contains upward of 3,000, most 

 of the slides holding the contents of three cover glasses. 



The mounted material is contained for the most part in double-folding 

 boxes in book form, about 32 by 22 by 8 centimeters, lined on both sides 

 with cork and paper. 



A certain proportion of the boxes are less than 7 centimeters wide, and 

 are lined only on one side. There are also two cabinets, one with sixteen 

 large, glass-covered drawers, and another (now at Dr. Riley's residence) 

 of sixty glass covered drawers. The specimens are all duly classified 

 and labeled, and in excellent order and preservation. The labels in- 

 clude notes as to locality and food habit, and are also in many cases 

 numbered to correspond to detailed notes as to adolescent states and 

 habits. 



The collection was begun twenty-five years ago, and represents Dr. 

 Riley's continuous collectings since, including his own types and many of 

 other authors received in exchange. It embraces few exotic species, and 

 is more particularly rich in biological material, containing more blown 

 and alcoholic larvae and pupae in connection with their imagos than per- 

 haps any other collection of North American insects. Including the 

 unarranged and alcoholic material not connected with the pinned speci- 

 mens, there are over 20,000 species in the collection. 



The curator has continued his work in re-arranging and perfecting 

 different families in several orders, particularly among the micro- lepi- 

 doptera. 



