94' REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



Although the condition of the collection as regards preservation may 

 be considered as generally satisfactory, its condition as regards com- 

 pleteness is quite otherwise. The need of larger series representing 

 geographical races has already been referred to, and we now add some 

 statistics as to the number of species represented. 



Murray, in his Geographical Distribution of Mammals (1866), recog- 

 nizes 378 genera of Mammals. The National Museum possesses skins 

 of representatives of about 207 of these, or somewhat less than three- 

 fifths. Again, in Troussart's Catalogue des Mammiferes (1880), 112 gen- 

 era of recent Eodents are given. Of these, the Museum possesses rep- 

 resentatives of only 50 genera; while of the 791 species recognized as 

 belonging in the order, the Museum possesses skins of about 160. 



When it is remembered that the collection is chiefly made up of 

 North American skins, it becomes evident that the exotic forms are 

 but poorly represented. Though probably surpassing every other col- 

 lection in the world in the amount of material representing a small 

 number of species, it will not bear comparison in general richness with 

 those of some other Museums of the first class, such as the British Mu- 

 seum, the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, at Paris, and the Eoyal Zoo- 

 logical Museum of the Netherlands, at Leyden. Thus, in the latter in- 

 stitution, in the genus Sciurus (Squirrels), 59 species are represented, 

 or about six-sevenths of all known species. These 59 species are rep- 

 resented by 638 mounted skins, an average of 11 specimens for each 

 species. In the National Museum but 18 species of the same genus are 

 represented. Again, the Leyden Museum has 26 mounted skins of the 

 genus Manis (Pangolins), representing all of the seven known species; 

 while the National Museum has but two specimens, representing two 

 species.* 



The same scarcity of material obtains in the case of the Monkeys, 

 Lemurs, Antelopes, and other groups. 



The desirability of securing more specimens of the larger Mamalia at 

 the earliest day can not be too strongly set forth. The larger forms on 

 every continent are rapidly diminishing in numbers, and some which 

 were abundant half a century ago are now practically extinct. 



The danger that the National Museum will never be able to exhibit 

 some of the largest and most striking forms is real. 



A list of the papers published during the year by the curator, and 

 by co-operators, based upon Museum material, is included in the bibli- 

 ography in Section IV of this report. 



* See Notes from the Leyden Museum, v p. 142 ; iv, p. 209. 



