1872.] 



SENATE— No. 249. 



17 



Nicaragua, in Costa Rica, in San Salvador, in Guatemala and 

 in Peru, who have promised me their ready assistance for the 

 future in promoting the interests of the Museum. 



After my return in July, IftTl, I was engaged in preparing 

 my report on the Geology and Natural History of the Isthmus 

 of Panama, Darien and Choco, for the United States Govern- 

 ment. 



After this work was done I devoted most of my time to exam- 

 ining and putting in order the osteological collection of the 

 Museum, which work makes more and more progress daily, but 

 will still occupy me for a long time, because the material, which 

 has been collecting for years, is very great, and has been aug- 

 mented during the last year by several presents from friends of 

 the Museum. I*use this opportunity to return our best thanks 

 to Professor Krauss of Stuttgardt, who sent us a fine manati 

 skeleton ; to Mr. J. A. Allen, who presented to the Museum a 

 large number of mammalia skeletons, collected during his late 

 . exploration in the West along the Pacific Railroad ; to Dr. 

 Robert W. Wood, who presented fifteen well-preserved Hawaiian 

 skulls; to George J. Nickerson, Esq., of New Bedford, from 

 whom we received several good skulls of Porcus babyroussa 

 Klein, one skull of a young walrus and one skull of a whale- 

 killer, caught on the coast of California ; and to Mr. J. Boll for 

 some turtle-skeletons from Texas. 



In regard to fossil Vertebrates, a great deal of progress has 

 been made in adding a collection of exact casts from rare origi- 

 nal specimens, which have been described and published. It 

 has been the good fortune of the Museum to gain the services of 

 Mr. Kappeler, an artist of great ability in this department. 

 Moulds of several skulls of Mastodon gigantevs belonging to the 

 collection of Professor J. Wyman have already been made, and 

 are ready for making casts. Another series of moulds and casts 

 have been made from various typical fossils belonging to the 

 Smithsonian Institution. I return, in the name of the Museum, 

 our thanks to Professor Wyman and to the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion fcfr the liberality with which these fossils have been lent to 

 us. 



The collection of fossil Vertebrates has been increased by: — 

 3 



