202 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



Lower California. They contain many rare species, and Mr. Charles H. 

 Townsend, resident naturalist of the Albatross, has made a special report 

 upon them, which will soon be published. 



Quite a number of specimens were received from the naturalists 

 attached to the United States Eclipse Expedition to West Africa in 1889. 

 This collection was not in a very satisfactory state of preservation, and, 

 since the collections were made under apparently unfavorable circum- 

 stances in localities already more or less explored, they could hardly be 

 expected to contain many novelties. 



Among the many other contributors, the following deserve special 

 mention: Herbert Brown, Tucson, Arizona; G. H. Ragsdale, Cook 

 County, Texas ; J. F. Le Baron, San Juan, Nicaragua ; Capt. W. L. Car- 

 penter, U. S. Army, Fort Whipple, Arizona; Julius Hurter, St. Louis, 

 Missouri ; Dr. W. L. Abbott, Zanzibar, East Africa ; Prof. O. B. John- 

 son, Seattle, Washington. 



During a three months' trip to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the 

 curator collected a number of reptiles, chiefly lizards, and also a number 

 of birds and mammals. In spite of the lateness of the season — from 

 September to November — interesting material was brought home,which, 

 when fully worked up, will add considerably to our knowledge of the 

 geographical distribution of the western species. 



In addition to the ordinary routine work, consisting in caring for, 

 registering, identifying and labeling the new accessions, much time 

 has been spent in correcting and verifying the records of the collections 

 already at hand. Moving the collection from the old quarters in the 

 basement to the new ones in the top rooms of the south tower, Smith- 

 sonian building, has also consumed considerable time, as the opportunity 

 was improved to re-catalogue the collection as the jars were placed in 

 the new cases. This work is not yet completed. 



A great improvement in the storing of the specimens has been effected 

 during the year. The new quarters have been fitted with unit cases 

 which take the standard museum drawers. 



The new accessions have not been distributed between the "reserve 

 series" and the " general series," for the reason that such a division of 

 the material can only be made when the whole collection has been 

 worked up. The status of North American herpetology at the pres- 

 sent date is so unsettled that in most cases it is impossible to tell 

 whether a specimen is a duplicate, or whether it may not be of extreme 

 importance when the matter is thoroughly investigated. It seems prob- 

 able that in the near future, new views and new methods in the treat- 

 ment of the geographic distribution and the systematic technicalities 

 will be tested, and a separation as alluded to must therefore now be 

 regarded as premature and unwise. It has, consequently, been deemed 

 inexpedient also to make too great inroads on the so-called duplicates 

 of the " general series " for distribution, as it is extremely probable that 



