DEPARTMENT OF BIKDS 157 



tionally fine collection, as regards preparation of the specimens which 

 had been mounted entirely from fresh specimens, was of very great in- 

 terest and benefit to the Department, affording, as it did, several sug- 

 gestions of practical value, and much needed material for study, includ- 

 ing no less than five more or less remarkable new species. The collection 

 was in charge of Prof. Fernando Ferrari-Perez, O. E., who prepared a 

 catalogue of the collection for publication in the " Proceedings" of the 

 Museum, the Curator of the Department of Birds determining the spe- 

 cies and describing those which were new, besides rendering every 

 needed assistance to Professor Ferrari- Perez. The new species will be 

 fully described in Professor Ferrari-Perez's catalogue, in the forthcoming 

 volume of the "Proceedings," but have already been briefly character- 

 ized and named, in order to secure priority, in "The Auk" for July, 

 1886. The new species are as follows: (1) Amphispiza ferrari-perezi; 

 (2) Pipilo submaculatas ; (3) P. complex us ; (4) Alias diazi (named in 

 honor of General Augustin Diaz, president of the Commission); (5) 

 Philortyx personatus. 



Special reference to the A. O. U. Code and Check-List will be found 

 iu the Bibliography, under Americau Ornithologists' Union. 



The collection of mounted duplicates, consisting of more than 7,000 

 specimens, aggregating about 000 species, was made up into six sets lor 

 distribution, set 1 containing 367 specimens and 295 species. 



During the year the copy for species labels for the exhibition series 

 was carefully revised to correspond with the nomenclature and numera- 

 tion of the American Ornithologists' Union check-list, the number of 

 separate labels being about 975. Proof of these was also carefully re- 

 vised by both the curator and assistant curator. 



Several groups of birds which had hitherto been in a state of great 

 confusion were made the subject of special critical revision by the cura- 

 tor, with very satisfactory results, thanks to the excellent material in 

 the Museum collection. Among the more important groups thus cov- 

 ered may be mentioned the particularly different Procellarian genera 

 JEstrelata and Puffinus, and the genera Colinus, Larus. Lagopus, and 

 Empidonax. The last named was revised at the special request of Dr. 

 P. L. Sclater, Secretary of the Zoological Society of London, who is en- 

 gaged in preparing the catalogue of Tyrannidae in the British Museum, 

 and who forwarded his own rich collection of Empidonaces to aid in the 

 investigation. 



The assistant curator has also continued his revision of Japanese 

 ornithology. When Captain Blakiston donated his magnificent collec- 

 tion of Japanese birds to the National Museum, it was with the under- 

 standing that it be properly worked up, for which purpose he also left 

 his manuscript notes, accumulated during twenty years collecting, 

 and a great deal of literature, with the assistant curator. Several pa. 

 pers on the Japanese Avifauna have already been submitted for pub- 

 lication by the latter and will be found in the subjoined list of papers 



