40 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



b — Work done in the Museum. 



The labor of receiving, unpacking, and assorting the specimens 

 received during the year has been very great, occup3 r ing a large share 

 of my time as well as that of Mr. Girard. 



Some idea of the labor involved may be obtained from the fact that 

 in 1854 there were received 35 kegs and barrels, 26 cans, 175 jars, 94 

 boxes, and 32 packages, all containing a greater or less number of 

 specimens, giving an aggregate of over 350 different lots, without 

 including numerous specimens received singly. All these had to be 

 assorted or repacked, labelled by localities, at least, and recorded in 

 the proper books, and in most cases duplicate lists sent to the donors. 

 We have, however, succeeded without other than mechanical aid in 

 accomplishing all that was immediately necessary to be done, leaving 

 very few arrears for the ensuing year. 



Considerable progress has, likewise, been made in the determinations 

 and descriptions of the collections themselves. A number of reports 

 upon the vertebrata of the several explorations, both of the Pacific rail- 

 road survey, and of the United States navy astronomical expedition, 

 under Lieutenant Gillis, have been either completed by Mr. Girard 

 and m} ? self or are in an advanced state of progress. The series of 

 descriptive systematic catalogues of the collections has been extended 

 by the preparation of an elaborate account of the North American: 

 toads by Mr. Girard, and of the frogs and tree frogs by myself; these 

 are entirely finished and ready for press, and will make a volume 

 nearly as large as the catalogue of North American serpents. Full 

 descriptions of the families, genera, and species of all inhabiting North 

 America (including about 20 new ones) are given, and analytic and 

 exhaustive methods applied to the species. Such catalogues, forming 

 as they do so many manuals in North American zoology, extend the 

 benefits of the museum far beyond its walls. The demand, indeed,, 

 for them is so great, from all parts of the world, that of the catalogue 

 of serpents two editions of 1,000 copies each have been called for and 

 distributed. 



A good deal of time has also been taken up in the preparation of 

 specimens for examination, cleaning skeletons and skulls, dissecting, 

 &c, while the selection, labelling, packing, and recording of the col- 

 lections sent from the Institution have created no inconsiderable 

 amount of labor. 



In connxtion with the subject of the work done in the museum, it 

 may, perhaps, be proper to refer to the article in the appendix con- 

 taining the result of my observations on the habits and peculiarities of 

 the fishes of the Jersay coast, as made in the summer, together with 

 descriptions of the colors from life of such species as are apt to fade in 

 spirits. 



c — The present Condition of the Museum. 



The paragraph upon the work done in the Museum covers to some 

 extent the subject of the present heading. No change has been made 

 in the places of deposit of the specimens owing to the very recenS 



