232 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



tortoise, Testudo abingdoni. It is believed to be the only one preserved 

 in any museum. A skull of Schlegel's Crocodile, Tomistoma schlegeli, 

 was purchased. 



No fishes were entered during the year. 



The changes in the exhibition hall during the year were not such as 

 to affect materially its general appearance. A marked improvement 

 was the addition of order and family labels throughout the entire exhi- 

 bition series. 



It was found expedient to place casters under all the smaller cases, 

 which action, however, made it necessary to twice move all the smaller 

 specimens in the hall. 



Sixty-five entire or partial skeletons of vertebrates were added to 

 the exhibition series during the year. Of these, 40 were mammals, 

 16 birds, 8 reptiles and batrachians, and 2 fishes. In addition, the pre- 

 parators cleaned 96 osteological pieces. The work done for the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture is mentioned in the report of the Department of 

 Mammals. 



The entries of osteological material in the several classes were as 

 follows : 



Mammals "1,961 



Birds 236 



Reptiles and batrachians 29 



The first and last numbers for the year in the several catalogues are 

 as follows : 



Class. 



First number, 

 July, 1889. 



Last number, 

 June, 1890. 









i 



23782 to 25651 

 25751 to 25811 



30026 to 



18508 

 29262 







1 

 Birds 



30055 

 18743 





29290 





*26084 









* September 11, 1888. 



*A11 but a small number of these entries were those of skulls belonging to skins in 

 the Department of Mammals, or in the U. S. Department of Agriculture deposit. 



