12 MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. [Jan. 



tutes the most prominent feature of the organic kingdom, and 

 is by no means confined to the human family. 



Among the most valuable additions to the collections, I may 

 mention the new series of microscopic sections made by Mr. 

 Glen during the past year ; as those prepared by him in former 

 years they are unsurpassed for minuteness and exquisite finish. 

 Of late he has been chiefly engaged in making sections of the 

 shells of Gasteropods, no longer mainly with a view to ascer- 

 taining the mode of growth of shells in general, but rather to 

 trace the generic differences which characterize the more recent 

 subdivisions introduced in the classification of shells by the latest 

 writers upon the subject. I may already state that unexpected 

 generic characters have thus been found even among the seem- 

 ingly most similar genera of terrestial Gasteropods. 



The collection of ethnographical illustrations, begun by the 

 efforts of Mr. Theodore Lyman, a few years ago, has jDeen largely 

 increased by his own liberality during the past year. He has 

 lately presented a large series of casts, one hundred in num- 

 ber, representing the face of the principal tribes of men 

 inhabiting the East Indies, obtained from the originals secured 

 by the brothers Schlagintweit, during their memorable explo- 

 ration of that region. To these were added, also by Mr. Lyman, 

 several hundred photograph portraits of men of all the differ- 

 ent races of the human family, individuals of which could be 

 found in the various embassies to the European Courts and else- 

 where. I had expected great help from him on his return ; but 

 his devotion to the country has outweighed his love for science. 

 I can hardly grudge the services of any man to his country in a 

 time like this, and yet I feel that the Museum has lost its most 

 active friend. Mr. T. G. Cary has also contributed his share to 

 this collection in the shape of photographs of the miscellaneous 

 population of California. 



Notwithstanding the large amount of duplicates for years 

 accumulated in the Museum, it has been very difficult for me to 

 bring about the system of exchanges which is now carried on. 

 In some quarters, whence original specimens would have been 

 particularly desirable, I found an inability to relinquish any 

 thing from want of duplicates ; in other quarters pretensions 

 were raised to which I would not agree. But these were not 

 the most forbidding difficulties I had to meet. Our own stock 



