DEPARTMENT OF MOLLUSKS. 105 



deal of work and the overhauling of a large quantity of material, the 

 accumulation of many years. 



This labor was incidentally advantageous to the Museum, as a con- 

 siderable part of the work consisted in administration upon material 

 hereafter to be incorporated in the reserve collection and of great im- 

 portance for reference in connection with the identification and study of 

 the Tertiary and Quaternary fossils of the United States. 



The result of the exhibition to the Department of Mollusks was less 

 advantageous than to other departments of the Museum, as the exhi- 

 bition, outside of the national exhibit, contributed little or nothing to 

 this section; in fact, with that exception, nothing of much scientific 

 importance in this line was exhibited. 



OTHER WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT. 



The chief work of the department during the period has been the 

 identification of Tertiary fossils sent in by the U. S. Geological Survey, 

 from time to time, of collections of shells sent by various collectors to 

 be named for assistance in their studies, and in preparing for exhibitor 

 reference the Tertiary fossils and recent shells which have accumulated 

 in the storage of the National Museum during the past six or eight 

 years. Since tor the uses of the student of paleontology and malacology 

 it is absolutely necessary to have reference series of named and classi- 

 fied fossil and recent shells, the curator has felt that whatever was done 

 in other directions, his first duty in regard to the accumulated material 

 was to put it into shape for reference. This work has been steadily 

 X)rosecutcd, interrupted only by calls for the immediate determination 

 of, or report upon, new material sent by the Directors of the Museum 

 or the Geological Survey at the request of their correspondents or col- 

 lectors. This latter work has in all cases been attended to at once, and 

 there are no arrears in it. The classification of the material previously 

 on hand has gone on steadily, but is always a slow process, and, from 

 our inability to employ skilled assistants, will probably be a matter of 

 several years in accomplishment. 



A large number of specimens of shells has *been sent out in exchange 

 or by way of donation from the National Museum during the period 

 covered by this report. A list of these sendings is appended. Much 

 of this has been in return for material furnished other departments of 

 the Museum, and has not benefited the Department of Mollusks in any 

 way. If this method is to be continued, it will be necessary to purchase 

 or obtain otherwise a quantity of material for this express purpose, as 

 the available store of attractive duplicates, such as are suited to the 

 requirements of most persons supplied in this w 7 ay, is already almost 

 expended. 



The progress of the work upon the arrears, though slow, has made as 

 good progress as could be expected, and what has been done will not 



