Annual Report.] 320 [May 4, 



use of the valuable duplicates presented last year by Mrs. 

 Bryant. Over three hundred nests, about one half with the 

 proper complement of eggs, have been assorted, labelled and 

 placed on exhibition, and the collection is in admirable or- 

 der ; the new accessions have all been catalogued, the broken 

 or fractured specimens repaired, and the duplicates placed 

 singly in numbered wrappers, available at any moment for 

 exchange. The Curator has commenced the arrangement of 

 a special New England collection and requests, from all who 

 are interested in its formation, the gift of authentic speci- 

 mens. 



One hundred and fifteen specimens, received from fifteen 

 contributors, have been added to the collection of Reptiles. 

 The greater part of them are from different localities in the 

 United States; one tenth only are batrachians, the remain- 

 der true reptiles. One of the most valuable additions is 

 a fresh specimen of the Boa constrictor, which has been 

 finely mounted by Mr. Jillson. The two largest invoices 

 were from the Southern States, one being the collection 

 made by Dr. E. Coues, in North Carolina, and the other by 

 Mr. B. P. Mann, in South Carolina. Two rare Massachu- 

 setts species have been received, the Plestiodon fasciatus 

 and the Malacoclemmys palustris, both collected at New 

 Bedford by Mr. R. C. Ingraham. 



About two hundred specimens have been taken from the 

 storage jars and placed on exhibition, and two thirds of the 

 North American specimens in cases supplied with labels. 

 The cataloguing of the collection has also been commenced, 

 parchment numbers having been attached to nearly six hun- 

 dred specimens. Unfortunately, in many instances, the rec- 

 ords of localities and of the donor's names have either been 

 lost, or were never properly made, so that the collection is 

 less valuable than it would otherwise be. 



In respect to our native species the most marked deficiency 

 is in the turtles, many of our common species, when pres- 



