136 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1885. 



The following species, among others, are found to do well : Livistona 

 australis, Livistona Borbonica, Archor.tophcenix Alexandrcea, Pandanus 

 utilis, &c. Both species of agave (A, rigida and A. Hendersoni), instead 

 of thriving as they were expected to do, assumed an unhealthy appear- 

 ance, and in the latter part of June put forth flowering stems, and 

 bloomed during the summer, attracting considerable attention. 



The living plants have been under the charge of Mr. A.L. Schott, who, 

 when not employed in caring for them, has also been engaged in making 

 collections of botanical specimens from the parks and green-houses about 

 the city. The plants procured in this way are very valuable, as they 

 are mostly exotics and poorly represented in herbaria. These plants 

 will also be of use in the preparation of a catalogue of the cultivated 

 plants of the District, mentioned in vour circular of March 1, 1883, 

 which is in course of preparation. In the arrangement and installation 

 of the collections a check-list of the " Genera Plantarum" of Bentham 

 and Hooker was found to be almost indispensable. The preparation of 

 this check -list was intrusted to Mr. Schott, and at the end of June he 

 had completed about half the MS. 



The following is a summary exhibit of the state of the collection : 



Number of catalogue entries 23 



Number of identified species 14, 212 



Number of herbarium specimens ( estimated) 20, 000 



Number of additional species represented only by fruits and seeds (estimated) 500 



DEPARTMENT OF FOSSIL PLANTS. 



No active work has been done in this department except to care for 

 such accessions as came in during the six months. 

 The following statement shows the present status of the collection : 



(1) Total number of specimens of catalogued material (exclusive of my recent 



collection still in hand for study and not yet formally turned over to the 



National Museum) 7,346 



(2) Number of specimens not specifically identified 2, 297 



(3) Determined material 5, 049 



(4) Duplicates now stored in Armory building 1, 091 



(5) Number of distinct species identified, catalogued, and installed 938 



(6) Of which there are Paleozoic 281 



(7) Mesozoic 142 



(8) Cenozoic 515 



