1870.] 



SENATE— No. 170. 



23 



Report on the (Condition and Prospects of the Department of 

 Conchology^ made Dec. 31, 1869, by John G. Anthony. 



Our last Report brought us to the close of the year 1868, and 

 we have now to chronicle the operations of the department 

 during the year about to close. 



From the date of that report the policy which was then pur- 

 sued has been steadily persisted in, so that instead of pressing 

 our exchanges as formerly and constantly laboring to increase 

 our large stock of MoUusks, we have preferred to work up ma- 

 terials already on hand. 



The classification, arrangement and mounting of the speci- 

 mens has enabled us to know our possessions and wants with 

 more precision and prepared us to exchange with better judg- 

 ment and greater profit to our collection. Our advance in this 

 direction may be summed up in the statement that within the 

 past twelve months we have added nine thousand two hundred 

 and fifty mounted tablets to the seventeen thousand then on 

 hand, so that now we have twenty-six thousand two hundred and 

 fifty tablets, mounted with sixty-seven thousand seven hundred 

 and forty -nine specimens of shells. 



Of this number, twenty-two thousand four hundred and three 

 tablets have been mounted with fifty-six thousand nine hundred 

 and seventy-two specimens by the writer of this during the six 

 years he has been connected with the Museum, and the remain- 

 ing three thousand eight hundred and forty-seven tablets have 

 been added by the three female assistants, who under the policy 

 recently adopted have been mostly employed in preparing the 

 tablets, but who have also occasionally been allowed to mount 

 the specimens, under proper supervision. 



As might be expected, where so much time has been given to 

 one object but little could be spared for others, and our ex- 

 changes have consequently been more or less neglected. Never- 

 theless we have not been altogether idle in that respect, and 

 have to report twenty-four packages as having been received 

 during the present year, containing one thousand one hundred 

 and fifty-five species and twenty-one thousand one hundred and 

 twenty specimens, while during the same period we have sent 

 abroad fifteen packages containing two thousand four hundred 

 and twenty-three species and seven thousand seven hundred 



