REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 

 IN THE U. S, NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



By Leoniiard Stejnegek, Curator. 



The reorganization of the department and overhauling of the reptile 

 collection, begun during the year 1888-81), has been continued, except 

 during an interval of three months, in which the curator was absent on a 

 collecting trip in the West, and the daily routine work of the department 

 was consequently suspended. As the curator was without an assist- 

 ant most of the time, the work has, of necessity, been of slow progress, 

 the more so since the collection had to be moved into new quarters. 

 As these are, however, commodious and healthy, the future work of the 

 the department may be expected to progress more rapidly. 



The removal of the North American lizards into the new quarters, and 

 their installation on the shelves, was completed during the year, and 

 this part of the collection catalogued aud counted. The total number 

 of the identified specimens of the reserve series of North American 

 lizards was 2,752. Several genera had to be worked up monograph- 

 ically, in order to settle many intricate points of identification and 

 nomenclature ; while in others, the arrangement is only provisional until 

 the whole subject can be investigated. 



Quite a number of interesting collections were received during the 

 year, the total number of specimens entered being 705.* 



Foremost in importance among these is the collection of reptiles and 

 batrachians made by Dr. C. Hart Merriam and his assistants during 

 the summer of 1889, while engaged in an exploration of the fauna and 

 flora of the San Francisco mountain plateau, Arizona, a part of the 

 general biologic survey of the country undertaken by the IT. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. The curator has already reported in detail upon 

 this collection, and the report is now going through the press. 



The U. S. Fish Commission has, as usual, added materially to the 

 collections of this department, the contribution this year being 128 

 specimens, collected partly by the naturalists attached to the steamer 

 Albatross, aud partly by Dr. D. S. Jordan and his assistants. The 

 Albatross collections were made chiefly in the islands off the coast of 



The number entered in 1883-'39 was 784; iu 1887-'83, 19; in 18SU-W, 138. 



201 



