HYATT: REPORT OF THE CURATOR, 
229 
been returned and stored in the collection. Through his kind 
assistance fifty-three lots of this group from the southern coast of 
New England have been picked out and forwarded to Prof. H. C. 
Bumpus as a loan to aid in his researches. The work of restoring 
faded labels in the alcoholic collection has been completed by 
Miss Martin. 
Fishes and Reptiles. 
These departments have received some desirable additions from 
the collection of the Boston Museum, but unluckily none of these 
had any locality labels. 
Birds and Mammals. 
In consequence of a fire that affected the upper part of the build¬ 
ing of the Boston Museum in May of last year, the proprietors 
turned over to the Society their remaining specimens of birds and 
other vertebrates. The birds were found to have been less injured 
by dampness, smoke, and insects than had been expected; and 
about one third of them were sufficiently valuable to be retained, 
although none of them had special locality labels. A certain num¬ 
ber fell to pieces and were lost, perhaps one per cent, altogether. 
Miss Bryant was employed for some time during the summer in 
getting the birds together, securing the labels and storing them in 
insect-proof cases. After this was done Mr. Batchelder went over 
the entire collection in the autumn, identified the species, and picked 
out all of those that were considered suitable for exhibition. 
A considerable number of the other vertebrates were looked over 
by the Curator, and a number of these were incorporated in the 
laboratorv collections, and some few were found to be desirable 
additions to the Museum collections. 
Mr. Batchelder has added by purchase twenty-eight birds to 
the New England collection. Five of these are to replace badly 
faded specimens, but the remainder represent species or important 
plumages hitherto wanting in our collection. 
Laboratory. 
The room in our basement has been used as in previous years by 
the classes of the Boston University and the Teachers’ School of 
