20 



REPORT ON THE FISHES, SELACHIANS, REPTILES, 

 AND BATRACHIANS. 



By S. W. Garman. 



Fishes. 



Three-fourths of the labor of the year has been done in this 

 department. As a result, in addition to incidental work in 

 the care of the collection, correspondence, <fcc., about 12,000 num- 

 bers have been added to the catalogue, all the storage cans have^ 

 been overhauled, and nearly fifty large sets of duplicates made ready 

 for shipment to correspondents. The acquisitions have been the 

 most important for some years. Among them are several excel- 

 lent skeletons of North American species, secured by purchase. 

 A very fine specimen of Ceratodus was furnished by Sir Wyville 

 Thomson. In exchange for American duplicates, we have about 

 sixty Red Sea and Indian Ocean species ; for South American 

 duplicates, about fifty species from the Adriatic were obtained. 

 From Professor Baird of the National Museum we have received 

 another instalment of the series of East Coast fishes, and from the 

 Coast Survey many deep-sea fishes, obtained by tlie steamer 

 " Blake." Numerous fresh-water fishes from India and the West 

 Indies have been secured by purchase, and by collection a number 

 of species, with duplicates, from the Rocky Mountains. Many of 

 the additions are rarities, and were selected for the purpose of 

 supplying deficiencies. The larger shipments have been made to 

 the Paris Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Butler University, 

 Ind. ; Bethel College, Ky. ; Illinois Natural History Society, and Dr. 

 Day of England. Specimens have also been sent to Sir Wyville 

 Thomson, Dr. 0. E. Manigault, the Boston Natural History 

 Society, and others. The deep-sea fishes were forwarded to the 

 Fish Commission. Various changes and additions have been 

 made in the exhibition series. The selection and preparation of 

 specimens for the rooms yet to be filled continues. 



