DEPARTMENT OF MAMMALS. 193 



The curator prepared, and submitted for publication, an epitome of 

 the natural history of the puma, and brought together a considerable 

 amount of material for an account of the natural history of other North 

 American cats. He also prepared a description of the skeleton of the 

 rare dolphin, ProdelpMnns longirostris, and an account of the life history 

 of the bottle-nose porpoise. He submitted an annotated list of the 

 mammals collected by the United States Eclipse Expedition to Augola. 

 Papers, based more or less largely on the Museum collection of mam- 

 mals, were published during the year by Drs. Merriam, J. A. Allen, 

 Harrison Allen, and Dobson. 



In addition to his regular duties the curator has served as chairman 

 of a committee appointed by the Assistant Secretary to consider the 

 subject of the construction of a series of base-maps to be used in illus- 

 tration of the animals, plants, ethnological objects, etc., exhibited in 

 the Museum. The committee is constituted as follows: Mr. Frederick 

 W. True, chairman ; Dr. O. T. Mas^n, Dr. Leouhard Stejneger. Several 

 meetings were held during the year, and the practical conclusions arrived 

 at, having been approved by the Assistant Secretary, the committee 

 has proceeded to supervise the construction of proper maps for the pur- 

 pose indicated. 



The condition of the collection as a whole has not changed materially 

 since the last report. The number of specimens in the different series 

 on June 30, 1890, was as follows : 



Number of mounted skins in the exhibition series 795 



Number of skins in the study and duplicate series 4, 934 



Number of specimens in alcohol 3,268 



Received during the year — 



Skins 377 



Specimens in alcohol 184 



Skeletons 25 



Skulls *283 



*Of these, 218 belong to skins. 

 H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 13 



