MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 35 



REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF VERTEBRATE 



PALAEONTOLOGY. 



By Charles R. Eastman. 



The additions to the collection made since the date of the last 

 Report, although less in quantity than those of preceding years, 

 have been better selected, and are scientifically more valuable. 

 Of paramount importance are the complete skeletons of a gallina- 

 ceous bird and a large-sized Alligator gar from the Green River 

 shales of western Wyoming, described in the current volume of 

 the Museum Bulletins. Owing to the extreme rarity of fossil 

 avian and lepidosteid remains in the older Tertiary, and the in- 

 terest attaching to them, the Museum is highly fortunate in having 

 been able to secure these specimens. 



In pursuance of the policy adopted some years ago of devoting 

 the principal resources and energy of the Department to a single 

 class of vertebrates, the attempt has been made to fill gaps in the 

 series of fossil fishes wherever possible, and to select a limited 

 number of choice specimens rather than a quantity of indiscrimi- 

 nately assorted material. The time of the Assistant has, for the 

 same reason, been largely devoted to the preparation and study of 

 Palaeozoic representatives of this group ; and in addition a sys- 

 tematic review has been made of the Eocene and Miocene fish- 

 faunas of Maryland and adjoining States, the results of which are 

 in course of publication in the Reports of the Maryland State 

 Geological Survey. This work was greatly facilitated by the loan 

 of type-specimens and other valuable material belonging to several 

 of the larger Museums. 



Numerous requests have been made for the identification of 

 material during the year, and specialists have consulted the stor- 

 age series at various times. In particular, the visits of Dr. Anton 

 Fritsch of Prague, and Dr. A. S. Woodward of the British Museum, 

 resulted in material benefit to the collection. It is hoped that 



