10 MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. [Jan. 



have increased so rapidly, that it has been impossible to carry 

 forward the catalogue at the same rate. I have fostered cer- 

 tain branches of Natural History in our Museum to the disad- 

 vantage of others, and I have done this intentionally, as I think 

 it a mistake for establishments of this kind to repeat each other. 

 They should rather aim at filling each other's blank spaces, 

 each one doing as far as possible what the other has left undone. 

 Thus I have made no attempt to form a collection of birds 

 which might compete with that of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences in Philadelphia, or with that of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution at Washington, or that of the Boston Natural History 

 Society. It would have been an unwise expenditure of our 

 means, and would not have added materially to the resources 

 of naturalists in that department, already so amply provided 

 for. Our Ornithological collection has therefore remained 

 small, as is also that of Mammalia. Our collection of Reptiles, 

 however, is probably the largest in the country, and may com- 

 pare favorably with those of the Old World. Our collection of 

 Fishes far outstrips any now existing. If the published esti- 

 mates of those institutions can be taken as a safe guide, it 

 exceeds those of the British Museum and the Jardin des 

 Plantes taken together. We actually possess more than nine 

 thousand species of this class of vertebrates, and so great a 

 number of specimens as to afford material for original investi- 

 gation for years to come. None but the practical naturalist 

 know what a privilege it is to have an unlimited number of 

 specimens for the comparative study of the structure of animals. 

 With only one or two specimens at command, the student comes 

 to the end of his resources with his problem half solved. 



My acquaintance with Entomological and Malacological col- 

 lections being less complete, does not enable me to make simi- 

 lar comparisons of our collections of Articulata and Mollusks 

 with those of other museums. For information concerning 

 those departments, I therefore refer to the special reports of 

 Messrs. Uhler and Anthony, who have shown great ability and 

 industry in bringing these collections into order. 



Mr. Shaler has also been very active in arranging the fossils. 

 It will however require many years and greatly increased 

 means to classify and assort this part of our collections which 

 has great scientific value. The appointment of another assist- 



