14 



the care of collections which those who have brought them 

 together are unable to give them, and thus be almost compelled 

 to divert our means from the more legitimate outlays of the 

 Museum, without at the same time receiving the necessary 

 assistance for such increased work. 



I am happy to state that the invaluable collection of Indian 

 Birds presented to the Museum by Mr. A. O. Hume of Simla 

 is now at the British Museum. In a letter addressed to Prof. 

 W. H. Flower, Director of the British Museum, Mr. Hume 

 says, " Of the duplicates available, I would wish that the first 

 set should be sent to Professor Agassiz." The Director of the 

 British Museum also informs me that the selection of our series 

 will, in accordance with the wishes of Mr. Hume, be made by 

 Mr. Sharpe. 



A list of the Museum publications issued during the past 

 academic year is given in Appendix A of this Report. They 

 consist of two numbers of the Bulletin, and of two numbers of 

 the Memoirs. The third number of the Embryological Mono- 

 graphs having absorbed nearly all the miscellaneous plates pre- 

 pared for that work, this publication will for the present be 

 discontinued. Professor Whitney has published for the Museum 

 the first part of the Lithological Studies by Professor Wads- 

 worth, announced in the last Report. 



The Report of Mr. Murray on the specimens of bottom de- 

 posits obtained by the " Blake " is now passing through the 

 press, and will form one of the numbers of the Bulletin. Pro- 

 fessor Faxon has also completed his "Revision of the Astacidse," 

 and I have myself, in connection with Mr. Whitman, completed 

 the first part of an investigation on the "Embryology of Osseous 

 Fishes." These two monographs have been printed, and will 

 be issued as numbers of the Museum Memoirs. 



In addition to the investigations issued in the publications of 

 the Museum, Professors Hagen, Shaler, Faxon, and Davis, and 

 Messrs. Garman and Fewkes, have published in the Proceedings 

 of the American Academy and other journals a number of papers. 

 A list of these is appended to the special Reports. I have with 

 Dr. Whitman printed in the Proceedings of the American Acad- 

 emy a preliminary account of our investigations on the develop- 

 ment of Pelagic Fishes. I have also made excellent progress 

 towards completing the final Report of the " Blake Cruises." 



