224 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



upon our collections, and to them a small amount of material has been 

 furnished during the year. The distribution of duplicate series No. iv 

 has been continued, and a number of special duplicate sets have been 

 supplied to institutions and individuals. The principal explorations to 

 be noted from which collections have been received or may be expected 

 at an early date are those of the Fish Commission steamer A Ibatross 

 in the North Pacific Ocean, and the Eclipse Expedition to West Africa. 



As the curator has been prevented from giving much personal atten- 

 tion to the department outside of the necessary correspondence, the 

 burden of the work has devolved upon his two assistants, Mr. James 

 E. Benedict and Miss M. J. Rathbun, to whom is due the entire credit 

 for the excellent condition of its affairs. 



The total number of accessions received by this department during 

 the year was 27, in addition to which three small lots of specimens 

 were referred to it for examination and report. Two collections have 

 been transferred by the U. S. Fish Commission: a series of echini from 

 the Pacific coast, and one of crayfishes from several sources. The 

 former consists of the shore and shallow-water echini obtained by the 

 steamer Albatross during her investigations in the North Pacific Ocean 

 between July 1, 1888, and January 1, 1S90, and contains 15 species and 

 232 specimens, representing many localities between Bering Sea and 

 Mexico. The deep-water forms from the same region are being studied 

 by Mr. Alexander Agassiz, and a type series will eventually be pre- 

 sented to the Museum. The second accession comprises 10 species and 

 115 specimens of crayfishes, obtained during the inland investigations 

 of the Fish Commission in 1888, chiefly under the direction of Dr. David 

 S. Jordan, in the States of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mich- 

 igan, and Indiana. They have been identified by Prof. Walter Faxon, 

 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 



To the Rev. A. M. Norman, of Burnmoor Rectory, Fence Houses, 

 Durham, England, we are indebted for a very valuable series of Euro- 

 pean marine invertebrates, chiefly from the Mediterranean Sea, com- 

 prising 42 species of echinoderms and 57 of crustaceans, many of 

 which are new to our collection. Another important contribution from 

 Europe has been received from Dr. P. Herbert Carpenter, of Eton Col- 

 lege, Windsor, England. It consists of 29 microscopical mountings 

 of foraminifera, obtained during the exploration of the British ships 

 Porcupine, Valorous, Lightning, and Challenger, and prepared and de- 

 termined by the late Dr. William B. Carpenter, whose published re- 

 searches upon this low group of animals are widely known. 



Other accessions deserving of special notice are the following : From 

 Wesley an College, Middletown, Connecticut, 23 species of Bermuda 

 annelids, collected in 187G and 1877 by Dr. G-. Brown Goode, and de- 

 scribed by Dr. H. E. Webster, president of KJnion College. From the 

 United States Eclipse Expedition of 1889-'90 to West Africa, William 

 Harvey Brown, naturalist, a miscellaneous collection consisting chiefly 



