REPORT ON THE MAMMALS AND BIRDS. 



By William Brewster. 



The collection of mounted Mammals has received the following 

 additions : — 



A Bat from Alaska ; an Elephant, a Hippopotamus, four Ante- 

 lopes ( Oryx beisa, Nanotragus melanotis, Cephalolop)hus pygmeus, 

 and C. Maxwelli) and a Wild Hog, from Africa ; and five Lemurs 

 (including Lemur catta, L. renifrons, PropitJiecus coronatus, and 

 Microrhynchus laniger), from Madagascar. A fine skin of the 

 African Leopard has also been mounted for exhibition in the Afri- 

 can Room. 



The large and very valuable collection of mounted birds given 

 to the Museum by Mrs. Greene Smith, as described in the last 

 Annual Report, has been prepared for exhibition and arranged in 

 the new cases in the North American Room. After the specimens 

 had been reidentified and relabelled by the assistant and catalogued 

 by Miss Parker, they were transferred from the original moss- 

 covered stands — which proved unsuitable for Museum purposes — 

 to plain white painted stands, uniform with those in general use 

 throughout the Exhibition Rooms. This part of the work and the 

 general renovation of the collection were intrusted to Mr. James 

 T. Clark, a well known professional taxidermist, whose skill in 

 removing dust and grease stains, mending broken parts, and re- 

 storing rumpled or defective plumage has enhanced very materially 

 the general beauty of the collection, as well as reduced the num- 

 ber of specimens too imperfect to be retained to but little more 

 than one hundred. 



Our old North American collection has been similarly treated, 

 and all the damaged or worthless specimens remounted or thrown 

 out. Those remaining have been arranged with the Greene Smith 

 birds, but the latter are distinguished by their different labels. The 

 combined collection, in accordance with the promise made to Mrs. 



