16 



Coll. No. io. — Catholic University, Washington, D. C, return 

 35 specimens of Minerals=$6o, and 290 Pliocene fossils 

 from Florida, 89 species, with many others yet to come. 



A Collection of Fossils which ought to be Secured. — 

 There is now for sale in Rochester, N. Y., a special collection of 

 Utica Slate fossils, made near Utica, N. Y., a typical locality, 

 which ought to come into the possession of the Museum, or at 

 least a selection from it. It was originally made by Mr. Rust, of 

 Trenton Falls, N. Y., and sold to C. D. Walcott for $500. It is 

 now in the hands of Mr. Howell, of Rochester, and should be 

 purchased when the means can be obtained. 



Mineralogical Collection. — The catalogue of this collec- 

 tion is being transcribed by Mr. Gratacap from the rough notes 

 into a large catalogue book, and is now more than half com- 

 pleted. The additions to this department during the year have 

 been marked by two noted donations. One of Malachites, 

 through Prof. Douglas, President of the Consolidated Copper 

 Queen Mining Company, of Bisbee, Arizona ; and the other of 

 the finest group of Quartz Crystals ever obtained from an Ameri- 

 can locality, from Mr. Morris K. Jesup. Other donations and 

 several good purchases made to this collection will be found 

 noted in the appendix to this report. This collection may be 

 said to have made fair progress during the year, and if the Tif- 

 fany Collection of Gem Minerals, and the Kunz Collection of 

 Meteorites could be added to it, it would rank as among the 

 noted collections of this country. 



Conchological Collections. — Mr. Sanderson Smith has 

 been employed since the middle of February last on the shell 

 collections. During that time he has worked over the shells of 

 the Bickmore Collections, those of the Haines, Goodwin, Binney 

 and Bland donations, and several miscellaneous lots, the source of 

 which is uncertain. They have been specifically identified and 

 labeled, or the labels with them verified ; they have been 

 placed in drawers and partially arranged, those needed for the 

 collection being separated and marked, and are to be provided 

 with labels and incorporated in the collections ; while those 

 considered as duplicates will be so arranged as to be available 

 as such. This work is not yet quite complete, but will require 

 some weeks further time. The Binney and Bland Collection 

 has been mostly placed in glass vials or in glass covered boxes, 

 and so arranged as to be comparatively safe from admixture by 

 displacement. 



The Jay Collection. — The work on this collection, con- 

 tracted for by Mr. Sanderson Smith, is nearly completed; only a 

 few species remaining undetermined. 



