REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS IN THE U. S. NATIONAL MU- 

 SEUM FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1886. 



By Robert Ridgway, Curator. 



SKINS AND ALCOHOLIC SPECIMENS. 



The Dumber of birds, chiefly skins, which were added to the collection 

 daring the year ending Jane 30, 1886, is 4,117 (Museum register 101914 

 to 1090G0, inclusive). The more important accessions* were the follow- 

 ing : 



Baird, Prof. S. F,, Director TJ. S. National Museum: Pelagodroma marina (1 speci- 

 men); a rare Petrel collected off the coast of Massachusetts, and new to the 

 North American fauna. (Gift.) 



Barilett, Edw., England: 96 specimens, 6? species, from different parts of the world, 

 hut mostly from Australia. The collection embraces many interesting forms new 

 to the Museum, among others, not less than four species of Pardalotus, thus nearly 

 completing the series in the Museum of this peculiar Australian genus. (Ex- 

 change.) 



Batch-elder, Charles F., Cambridge, Mass. : a pair of a recently described Junco from 

 North Carolina (J. hiemalis carolinensis), new to the collection. (Exchange.) 



Beckham, Charles W., Washington, D. C: 1 albino $ 'Redhead Duck (Aylhya amer- 

 icana) purchased for the Museum in Centre Market, Washington. 



Belding, L., Stockton, California : 13 specimens, 9 species, from California, among them 

 2 specimens of the hitherto undescribed and unknown male of Colaptrs rvfipileus 

 from Guadaloupe Island. (Gift.) 



Bendire, Capt. Charles E., U.S. Army: 30 specimens, 19 species, from the vicinity of 

 Fort Custer, Montana. A very acceptable accession. ^Gift.) 



Bendire, Capt. Charles E., U. S. Army: 1 specimen of Melsopiza fasciaia from Fort 

 Custer, Montana. (Gift.) 



Benedict, J. E. t U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross : 16 specimens, 5 species, in 

 alcohol, taken in the North Atlautic. (U. S. Fish Commission.) 



Benedict, J. E., and W.Lee, U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross : 3 specimens, 2 

 species, taken in the North Atlantic. (U. S. Fish Commission.) 



Berlepsch, Hans Graf v., Miinden, Germany ;t 60 specimens, 50 species. A valuable 

 aud interesting collection, consisting chiefly of the desiderata from South America, 

 among which are some types of several new species recently described by the 

 sender. Nearly all the species are new to the collection. (Exchange.) 



* In addition to the accessions here enumerated, many others of equal importance 

 were received and are referred to in Part V of the report. These are not included in 

 this list, since their mention hero would only be a repetition of what is said concern- 

 ing them in Part v. 



tFor complete list of specimens included in this collection, see Accession List, 



Pt. V. 



153 



