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REPORT ON THE BIRDS AND MAMMALS. 



By William Brewster. 



The only important acquisition in the Ornithological De- 

 partment during the past four months is a collection of skins 

 of Patagonian birds, received in exchange from the Jardin des 

 Plantes. 



Early in July a thorough examination was made of the collec- 

 tion of skins of the larger Mammals. Their condition proved 

 decidedly unsatisfactory. Many had been originally so badly 

 skinned or preserved that they were nearly worthless ; others 

 were broken or defaced in various ways ; while a large number 

 had been materially injured, and not a few ruined, by the at- 

 tacks of moths and museum pests. 



This state of affairs was evidently due, not to any neglect in 

 the care of the specimens, but to the gradual accumulation of 

 poor skins inevitable with all large collections, and to the diffi- 

 culty, if not impossibility, of guarding so much bulky material 

 from insects, especially as many of the cases in which it was 

 stored were far from insect-proof. 



As the construction of a sufficient number of suitable cases 

 would have involved a large expense, and as most of the skins 

 belonged to common species, which can be easily replaced, and 

 which, in most cases, are represented by perfect specimens in 

 the mounted collections, it seemed best to dispose, by exchange 

 or otherwise, of everything that could be safely regarded as 

 either a duplicate or worthless. This has been done, and the 

 collection thereby brought within such limits that the really 

 valuable material which remains can be easily preserved from 

 further injury. 



