REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 33 



belonging to the Museum. Mr. R. B. Riggs, under Professor Clarke's 

 direction, made full analyses of the lepidolites from Maine, and the cry - 

 ophyllite and aurite of Rock])ort, Mass., belonging to the Museum col- 

 lection, and Mr. George F. Kunz has prepared a description of the col- 

 lection of gems and ornamental stones.* The material belonging to the 

 Department of Mollusks which was taken north of Cape Hatteras, has 

 been retained for study by Prof. A. E. Verrill, at New Haven. During 

 the winter Prof. E. D. Cope was engaged at the Institution upon special 

 work, on the collections of reptiles; in the course of which he ideuti 

 hed all the undetermined Batrachia in the Department of Reptiles, and 

 identified and described collections made by the various correspond- 

 ents of the Institution in Mexico and in Central and South America. 

 He also completed G50 pages of the report upon the Batrachia of North 

 America. Mr. H. J. Biddle examined a large series of ores from Mex- 

 ico and Missouri, and metallurgical specimens acquired for the Museum 

 at the New Orleans Exposition, making in all 2,400 determinations. 

 Prof. Fernando Ferrari-Perez, of the Mexican Geographical and Ex- 

 ploring Commission, at the close of the New Orleans Exposition, and 

 at the invitation of the Institution, brought to Washington for exami- 

 nation a large collection of natural history specimens. Every possible 

 facility was offered him at the Institution for the arrangement and 

 study of this collection, the curator of birds and the curator of mam- 

 mals assisting him in determining the species. The visit of Professor 

 Perez resulted beneficially for the Museum, since a large portion of this 

 collection was given the Museum in exchange for material afterwards 

 sent him. The curator of birds says concerning the collection of birds 

 received from the Commission : " This exceptionally fine collection ; as 

 regards preparation of the specimens, which had been mounted entirely 

 from fresh specimens, was of very great interest and benefit to the 

 department, affording as it did several suggestions of practical value 

 and much-needed material for study, including no less than five more 

 or less remarkable new species." A catalogue of this collection was 

 prepared by Prof. Ferrari-Perez and was published in Proceedings U. 

 S. National Museum, Yol. ix, pp. 125-299. 



A number of students were granted permission to associate them- 

 selves with a department in the Museum as volunteer workers. Lieut. 

 T. Dix Bolles, U. S. Navy, rendered valuable assistance in the Depart- 

 ment of Ethnology. Mr. H. H. James was received into the Mineral 

 Department. Lieut. Charles Barnes, U. S. R. M., spent a short time in 

 the osteological laboratory previous to his departure for Texas. In the 

 taxidermist's laboratory Mrs. Berdell and Mr. William Crane received 

 instructions in skinning birds and making bird skins. Mr. E. S. Lewis 

 studied in the Department of Lithology and Physical Geology. Eight 

 pupils have been instructed in Photography : Mr. George P. Merrill, 

 Mr. J. T. Brown, and Mr. W. Hough, of the Museum ; Mr. O. H. Dodge; 



* Popular Science Monthly, April, 1886. 



H. Mis. 170, pt. 2 3 



