19 



seventy specimens from Nicasio, California ; two hundred and 

 sixty from Aspinwall, Panama ; fifty from Pernambuco, Brazil, 

 embracing several rare species ; four hundred and twenty from 

 various Mexican, Central American, and South American locali- 

 ties, selected from the duplicates of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, consisting to a large degree of virtually type specimens ; 

 three hundred and fifty from the island of Grenada, W. I. ; about 

 one hundred and twenty-five from Santa Lucia, W. I. ; and smaller 

 lots from St. Kitts, Martinique, and Porto Rico. Nearly all, 

 as well as the mammals, were added by purchase, and are the 

 gift of Mr. Agassiz. 



The department of Oology has been increased by the addition 

 of the valuable collection of eggs left to the Museum by the late 

 Dr. Thomas M. Brewer of Boston, numbering about three thousand 

 five hundred lots, and not far from one thousand species. A few 

 rare nests and eggs have been presented by Mr. H. D. Minot of 

 Boston. 



The room for the exhibition of the South American and Aus- 

 tralian collections has been furnished with cases, to which the 

 large amount of material already gathered for these collections 

 will soon be removed. Two new workrooms have been com- 

 pleted in the attic, to which will immediately be removed the 

 collections of Osteology and skins of birds and mammals. 



Besides the identification and intercalation of the additions, a 

 systematic catalogue of the bird skins has been begun during the 

 last year ; and already upward of one thousand species have been 

 critically revised or determined, covering the Psittaci, the Trochi- 

 lidce, and the Oscines from the Turdidce to the Icteridce. This 

 catalogue, when completed, will show at a glance not only what 

 species are in the collection, but the number of specimens of each 

 and the localities represented. Of the considerable number of 

 families thus far revised, about twenty to seventy-five per cent of 

 the known species are represented, the average being not far from 

 one-third. 



In regard to the further increase of the collections, it may be 

 added that a large order for material to complete the osteological 

 collection, both for the mounted and unmounted series, has been 

 placed in the hands of Prof. H. A. Ward of Rochester, fully cover- 

 ing the classes of mammals and birds, the order to be gradually 

 filled as opportunity may favor. 



