42 



skins of some of the more brilliant of the Birds of Paradise, Old 

 World Parrots, and Fruit Pigeons. Several of these are new 

 to the Museum, and all are of considerable value. Most of the 

 specimens, however, are North American, and very many of them 

 were taken by Mr. Luce himself in the immediate neighborhood of 

 Boston. 



Mr. Faxon's birds are peculiarly acceptable, from the fact that 

 they were collected with especial reference to filling gaps in the 

 Greene-Smith Collection. 



Of the Galapagos skins thirteen have been mounted for the 

 Pacific Room, where they are now on exhibition in one of the 

 cases devoted to " Island Faunas." 



Mr. Agassiz has purchased for the Museum seventy-two skins 

 of Japanese birds furnished 'by Oroston ; a Flamingo (Pliozne- 

 copterus ruber), a White-winged Scoter (Oidemia deglandi), a 

 Bed-breasted Merganser {Merganser serrator), a Peacock (Pavo 

 cristatus), a Crowned Pigeon (G-o?isa victoria), and an Impeyan 

 Pheasant (Lopliophorus impeyanus), obtained and mounted by 

 Clark ; and two skins of the Huia-bird {Heteraloclia acutirostris), 

 from New Zealand. 



In the last Report, Mr. Agassiz mentioned (page 13) the fact that 

 Mr. W. E. D. Scott hoped to secure funds sufficient to equip an 

 additional Exhibition Room with isolated cases, each of which 

 should illustrate, by a liberal number of artistically mounted 

 birds, the individual, seasonal, or geographical variations of a 

 single species. Unfortunately the financial depression of the past 

 years has prevented Mr. Scott from obtaining a sum of money 

 sufficiently large to warrant a serious beginning of this most 

 desirable undertaking ; but he has decided, nevertheless, to for- 

 ward to the Museum, at an early date, about one hundred mounted 

 birds (chiefly from Florida), which he wishes us to consider as 

 forming the nucleus of the proposed collection. He has also 

 promised to send with them some three thousand skins which 

 he collected on Jamaica in the winter of 1890-91, and which 

 represent very fully the characteristic birds of that island. As 

 our West Indian collection is comparatively insignificant, this 

 generous gift will be most timely and acceptable. 



A number of skins of Mammals and Birds loaned for purposes 

 of study or comparison to Dr. Slade and Mr. G. S. Miller, Jr., 

 have been returned in good condition. 



