Research on Reptiles 75 



other important accessions is a gift of 91 specimens, chiefly 

 from Manitoba, by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton, and collec- 

 tions of 79 and 104 specimens from the Far East and Cuba 

 respectively, collected by Mr. R. C. Andrews and Mr. Barnum 

 Brown, of the American Museum. 



Among collections leaving the Museum is a loan shipment 

 of more than 100 specimens of milk snakes and king snakes 

 (Lampropeltis) to Dr. A. G. Ruthven, of the Museum of 

 Zoology of the University of Michigan, for use in a revision 

 of the genus by Mr. Frank N. Blanchard, and a gift of about 

 85 specimens of North American frogs to Dr. Boulenger, of 

 the British Museum, to aid in his revision of the Ranidse. 



Much routine work has been done on the catalogues of col- 

 lections and in the organization of the department reference 

 library of separates. 



The paper on "Amphibians collected by the Nicaragua Ex- 

 pedition," by Mr. G. K. Noble, came from press in June. It 

 concerns species from the banks of remote Cen- 



Researchand tra i American rivers, many of these being rare 

 Publication ' •; & 



in collections, two described as new. 



The paper on the turtles, crocodiles and lizards of the Congo, 

 by Mr. Karl P. Schmidt, has been in course of publication in 

 the American Museum Bulletin and is now ready for indexing. 

 It stands as the third paper of Volume I of the Congo reports, 

 240 pages, with 26 plates, 22 distribution maps, and many 

 figures in the text. A paper on the snakes of the Congo, also 

 in the hands of Mr. Schmidt, was well under way at the time 

 he left for war service in March. 



Progress has been made on the research long in hand on 

 Lower California and the Southwest, but so great have been 

 the demands of administrative, exhibition, and editorial work 

 on the time of the Associate Curator that the work is not yet 

 ready for publication. 



The major piece of exhibition work of 1917, the Florida 

 Group, carried well over into 1918, not being opened to the 

 public until early summer. The group was de- 

 scribed in considerable detail in the report of 

 last year (pp. 77-79). Work has gone on in completing prepa- 

 rations for the Gopher Group, the plan of which has been 



