Report of the President 63 



different parts of the West Indies) from the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution, through Professor A. L. Treadwell. The Congo 

 Expedition has brought back large numbers of insects, 

 mollusks and varied invertebrates that will require much time 

 for their arrangement and analysis. Valuable series of shells 

 have been donated by Mr. A. D. Gabay, and by the estate of 

 Mary E. Wilde through Dr. George F. Kunz, while other 

 specimens have been given by Messrs. C. E. Akeley, F. E. 

 Hunt, B. Brown, V. Sterki and Mrs. W. K. Simpson. Mr. 

 B. Preston Clark has added to his valuable gifts of Sphingidoe, 

 and Professor William M. Wheeler has donated an extensive 

 series of ants. The section of insects has been greatly 

 strengthened by the purchase, through the Jesup Fund, of the 

 Pearsall and the Kearfott collections; the former is especially 

 rich in Geometridce and the latter consists largely of Microlepi- 

 doptera, in both of which the Museum had already been well 

 developed. 



RECENT AND EXTINCT FISHES, 

 EXISTING REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



DEPARTMENT OF ICHTHYOLOGY AND HERPETOLOGY 



Bashford Dean, Curator Emeritus; Louis Hussakof, Curator of Ichthyology 

 Mary Cynthia Dickerson, Associate Curator of Herpetology 



The past year was one of quiet, steady work in all the activ- 

 ities of the department. Attention centered chiefly in the 

 preparation of material for exhibition, work which naturally 

 must claim a large share of attention in a department which is 

 still rather young as compared with most of the other depart- 

 ments. 



FISHES 



Notwithstanding the somewhat unfavorable conditions for 

 acquiring specimens, owing to the war, this was a satisfactory 



. . year for the growth of the collections. There were 



Accessions ° ■ 



65 separate accessions, totaling about 1,500 speci- 

 mens (exclusive of the Congo collection, which alone numbers 



