106 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1885. 



need to be done again, as was constantly the case under the old and 

 obnoxious system of mounting specimens on tablets. 



RESEARCHES IN PROGRESS. 



• The routine work of the department has occupied most of its energies, 

 but incidentally something has been i>racticable. 



The fauna of the eastern coast of the United States north of Hatteras 

 is being investigated by Professor Verrill, of Yale College, under the 

 auspices of the Fish Commission. The mollusk material belonging to 

 and eventually to be deposited in the national collection, is in the 

 hands of this gentleman and his assistants, of whose progress and re- 

 searches I have no official cognizance, though it is well known that their 

 scientific results are of great interest and value. It would perhaps be 

 desirable that they should report annually to the Director of the Na- 

 tional Museum as to the extent aud direction of their researches and 

 the kind and quantity of Museum material which is in their hands. Only 

 by some such means as this can the actual riches of the collection in its 

 various branches be properly estimated. 



For the region south of Hatteras the curator has been engaged, so 

 far as time and opportunity admitted, in prosecuting investigations 

 into the mollusk-fauna. It is the least known and apparently the rich- 

 est region bordered by the coast of the United States. Owing to vari- 

 ous circumstances, well understood, scientific research in this part of 

 the country, formerly active, has been for some twenty years almost at a 

 standstill, except where promoted by national organizations, such as 

 the Geological Survey, the Fish Commission, and the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. There are evident signs that a new era has begun, and to foster 

 and encourage local students can be only desirable and beneficial to the 

 Museum and to science. The curator has by correspondence, by iden- 

 tifying specimens, and by personal endeavors done his best to promote 

 activity and interest in students in that part of the country, and with 

 satisfactory, if only preliminary, results. The publications on topics 

 germane to this report by those engaged in the study of the national 

 collections of Mollusks are included in Part III of this report. They are 

 7 in number, 5 being written by the curator, one by Prof. A. E. Verrill, 

 and 1 by Miss Katherine Bush. It will be seen that the most impor- 

 tant of them relate to the exploration of our southern and southeastern 

 coast. 



PRESENT STATE OF COLLECTION. 



As stated in the report for 1884, the total number of specimens in the 

 custody of the Department of Mollusks, in the present state of affairs, 

 can only be estimated. Not including the material in the hands of Pro- 

 fessor Verrill and associates, but including duplicates and alcoholic 

 specimens, the total must be in the vicinity of four hundred thousand 

 specimens. The number received during the year has not been counted, 



