Report of the President. 29 



reptiles and batrachians have come from the New York Zoolog- 

 ical Society, the Central Park Managerie and the New York 

 Aquarium. 



The collection of fishes on exhibition in the Museum is 

 very small, and consists mainly of painted wax and plaster 

 models, resembling but slightly the fish in nature. All known 

 methods of preserving and exhibiting fishes are unsatisfactory, 

 but experiments for the purpose of devising some suitable 

 means of presenting them in their natural environment and 

 natural colors are under way, and we are warranted in saying 

 that progress toward this desirable end has been made. 

 Popular interest in the fishes is great, and a large exhibit of 

 them is needed. 



The acquisitions to this section of the Department have 

 been considerable during the year. Through the courtesy of 

 the Honorable George M. Bowers, the United States Commis- 

 sioner of Fish and Fisheries, we have received a fine collection 

 of Puerto Rican fishes, collected by the United States Fish 

 Commission Steamer "Fish Hawk" during the investigation 

 of the fisheries of Puerto Rico by the Government, in 1899. 

 There are nearly two hundred specimens in the collection, 

 representing eighty-four species, and all are in a good state of 

 preservation. From the Jesup North Pacific expedition there 

 have been received one hundred forty-three fishes and 

 several reptiles and invertebrates, which were collected by 

 Mr. N. G. Buxton in Vladivostok Harbor and Lake Khanka, 

 in eastern Siberia. Since the fauna of that region is little 

 known, doubtless several new species will be found in the col- 

 lection. One of the most •■ striking needs of the various sec- 

 tions of this department is a series of local collections of 

 familiar forms, arranged in groups to correspond with those 

 which are used to such good effect in several other parts of 

 the Museum. 



Department of Conchology. — At the beginning of the 

 year, when the departments, which, for many years, had been 

 under the care of the Curator of Geology, were subdivided, 

 the collection of shells was removed to the charge of Mr. 



