1877.] 



SENATE— No. 5. 



25 



REPORT ON CONCHOLOGY. 



By John G-. Anthony, Assistant in Conchology. 



The progress made in this department during the current 

 year will compare favorably with that of preceding years, 

 and is on the whole most satisfactory. 



The same plan of revision and re-identification of every 

 species in our collection which was in operation at the close 

 of the past year has been continued in this, and so far as our 

 Univalves are concerned, has been satisfactorily completed. 

 The result has been the critical examination and cataloguing 

 of eleven thousand three hundred and twelve species, which 

 is the number at present in our collection. The bivalves are 

 not, of course, included in that number, that part of the 

 collection being now under examination and very far from 

 being completed. 



As fast as we have received species and specimens designed 

 to be added to the collection, they have been carefully cleaned 

 and mounted for exhibition by my daughter, who attends to 

 this part of the Museum work, and this has beeu done with 

 her usual commendable skill. 



Among our other duties, the cause of education has not 

 been forgotten or neglected, and this department has sent out 

 during the current year no less than seven collections of 

 shells, selected expressly to show generic forms. These 

 have been presented to educational institutions, to enable 

 them to teach this branch of natural science more effectually. 



We have received since our last report twenty-nine pack- 

 ages, containing one thousand and eighty-two species and 

 seven thousand six hundred and thirty-four specimens. This 

 is about our usual number, though as we now solicit only 

 such species as will add directly to our numbers, we ought 

 not to expect to receive as large accessions as when our 

 collection being smaller we required a larger range of species. 



