1876.] 



SENATE~No. 10. 



17 



EEPORT OX THE FISHER. 



By Richard Bliss, Jr. 



During the past year there have been no additions in this 

 department, excepting a very valuable collection of fishes 

 from Lake Titicaca, made by Mr. A. Agassiz and Mr. S. W. 

 Garman. The collection has been identified by Mr. Garman. 

 The fish skeletons, now stored in the attic, have been re- 

 arranged according to families, and the work of cataloguing 

 them has been begun. Mounted skeletons and stufied speci- 

 mens have been placed in four of the gallery cases of the 

 large exhibition-room, the former having been selected and 

 arranged with a view of afibrding students the best facilities 

 for studying them as they stand in the cases. A small collec- 

 tion of typical specimens has been prepared for the use of Dr. 

 W. James, in his lectures and instruction to the undergradu- 

 ates. 



Aside from a general supervision of the large collection, 

 the work of identifying and cataloguing the specimens has 

 been steadily carried on. The Thayer, Hassler, Garrett, and 

 Pike collections, four of the largest in this department, are 

 now identified, and the process of selecting duplicates for dis- 

 tribution and exchans^e has been beojun. This work is ren- 

 dered all the more necessary as the collection is too bulky to 

 be properly cared for, and the loss of alcohol by evaporation 

 from so many jars very great. 



3 



