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COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



[Jan. 



REPORT ON RADIATA. 



By L. F. PouRTALiss, Keeper of the Museum. 



No important additions to this department have been made 

 during the past year. Several sets of duplicate corals have 

 been forwarded to different institutions, in exchange for speci- 

 mens received in other departments of the Museum, and a 

 number of sets of named species have been prepared and laid 

 aside for future similar use. 



The synthetic-room, on the first floor of the Museum, 

 has been in part arranged, according to the plan of the late 

 Professor Agassiz. The Protozoa, Radiates, Crustacea, 

 Birds and Mammals, are in their places, represented by char- 

 acteristic specimens of the principal families. The other 

 classes are rapidly advancing towards complete arrangement. 

 The room is already used by students to a considerable extent, 

 being conveniently situated relatively to the lecture-rooms, 

 and presenting a general view of the animal kingdom in a 

 small compass. 



In the room devoted to the systematic collections of 

 Radiates, the different orders of Echinoderms have been 

 placed on exhibition, with the exception of the Holathuridae, 

 which will also soon be arranged. The remaining space will 

 be occupied by the sponges and by the Alcyonoid corals, 

 when the latter are returned by Professor Kolliker. 



The fossil corals have been put in order, named in part, 

 and catalogued. They are now kept in the new glass-cases 

 in the attic, under better protection from the dust than here- 

 tofore, and will be readily accessible when wanted. As in 

 former years, Miss Hyde has done most of the work of 

 cataloguing, mounting and arranging the specimens. 



Mr. Theodore Lyman has taken charge, as usual, of the 

 collection of Ophiuridse and Astrophytidse, of which prepa- 

 rations have been made, under his direction, by Miss Clark. 



