A. Cockerell; "Staphylinidæ from Florida in the Collection of the American Museum of Natural History, with Descriptions of New Genera and Species," by Howard Notman; "Tipulida Collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition," by Charles P. Alexander; "Neuroptera, Panorpata, and Trichoptera Collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition, with Lists of the Species Known from the Belgian Congo," by Nathan Banks; "African Stone-flies and May-flies Collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition," by James G. Needham; "Lepidoptera of the Congo, Being a Systematic List of the Butterflies and Moths Collected by The American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition, Together with Descriptions of Some Hitherto Undescribed Species," by W. J. Holland; Dr. Lutz has also published several articles on insects, one in coöperation with Mr. Watson, in popular magazines.

Papers in press are: "Budding in Compound Ascidians and Other Invertebrates, and Its Bearing on the Question of the Early Ancestry of the Vertebrates," by Willard G. Van Name; "Ascidians of the West Indian Region and Southeastern United States," by Willard G. Van Name; and a very complete treatise on Congo ants, by Professor Wheeler and collabo

rators.

Among the important accessions of the past year are the following: About 12,000 insects, spiders, etc., collected by Dr. Frank E. Lutz, in Wyoming and neighboring Accessions states; 2,500 insects, spiders, etc., a gift from Mrs. F. E. Lutz; a large collection of invertebrates, chiefly insects, collected by Mr. Frank E. Watson in Jamaica; 234 mounted and identified rotifers, protozoa and other invertebrates, 95 mounted and identified algæ, a Stephenson binocular microscope outfit and a rotifer slide cabinet, all the gifts of Mr. Frank J. Myers; a valuable collection of pearl shells and pearlaceous growths, presented by Mr. George W. Korper; 269 ascidians received in exchange from the United States National Museum; and a collection of shells, including paratypes, received in exchange from Mr. A. A. Hinkley.

Much to the regret of the department, Mr. Arthur Jacot has severed his connection with the Museum to accept a post

Changes in Staff

at the Shantung University in China. Mr. Show Shimotori is on an extended leave of absence in

Japan; Mr. Arnold Olsen has been acting as assistant modeler; and though not on the regular staff, Mr. Herbert F. Schwarz, has, throughout the year, given very freely of his time to the Section of Insects, as a volunteer assistant in the preparation of a paper on bees, with especial reference to those in the Colorado region.

RECENT AND EXTINCT FISHES *

BASHFORD DEAN, Honorary Curator

JOHN T. NICHOLS, Associate Curator of Recent Fishes, in Charge

Care and

of the

In July and August, Mr. J. C. Bell of the Department of Preparation spent several weeks at Morehead City, North Carolina, close to Cape Lookout, obtaining plaster molds of sharks and rays for exhibition. The Development Ocean Leather Company courteously furnished Collections him with facilities and material for this work. Dr. Russell J. Coles, who was fishing at Cape Lookout, also contributed material, and the opportunity was an exceptional one for securing these great fishes for the Museum. Dr. Coles, a Member of the Museum, was largely instrumental in arranging for Mr. Bell's trip, which proved very successful. It will now be possible to place on exhibition a large Tiger Shark, finer than anything of the sort now in the Museum. Besides exhibition material, skeletons, a series of shark jaws for purposes of study, and interesting observations, notably on stomach contents, were obtained. This is the most important accession of exhibition material during the year. Limited space has left little room for placing more fishes on view; several desirable specimens are now held in reserve until there be opportunity to show them to advantage, and attention has been given mainly to the study collections.

An important collection of marine fishes, obtained in Peru by Dr. R. C. Murphy, has been received; Dr. Barton W. Evermann of the San Francisco Museum secured some material for this Museum in the Honolulu market; Mr. Harry R. Caldwell is collecting fresh-water fishes in China. The fresh waters of China contain a large variety of interesting fishes, but collections of them are so small and scattered that their systematic study is extremely difficult. It is hoped that a suffi

Under the Department of Ichthyology (see also pages 218 to 219).

ciently large and comprehensive collection will be obtained incident to general zoölogical work in Asia which Mr. Andrews has in view, to make possible a more satisfactory treatment of the subject; Mr. Clifford Pope, who will accompany the proposed Asiatic Expedition, will pay especial attention to freshwater fishes.

A new ventilating apparatus has been installed in the basement store-room for study collections, which has greatly improved working conditions there. The laboratory assistant (Mr. Fred Kessler), in addition to routine work necessary for care of the increasing material, and preparation of study skeletons, has been occupied in cleaning shark jaws brought back by Mr. Bell, and in working up fossil material from Cuba collected by Mr. Barnum Brown which Dr. Gregory has agreed to examine.

Publication

Work on the "Bibliography of Fishes," which has so long occupied an extensive part of the interest of this department, has been continued throughout the year under the Research and general supervision of Dr. Bashford Dean. The Addendum, consisting of titles not included in the previous volumes by reason of the great amplification and extension of the scope of this work, and including about fortyfive hundred additional titles, is now in press.

The section relating to Pre-Linnæan works, compiled and edited by Dr. E. W. Gudger, including all the literature concerning fishes from the earliest times to the publication of the "Systema Natura" of Linnæus in 1758, is likewise in press. This will be of especial interest to students of the origin and development of our modern conceptions of the science of ichthyology. About twenty-three hundred titles are included, with an accurate compilation of their various editions.

The final preparation of the Subject Catalogue, in preparation by Mr. Arthur W. Henn, is necessarily dependent on the completion of the above parts. A number of forms have been set up in order to determine the typographical composition of this part, and to solve the necessary mechanical details. Sections relating to palæontology and fauna, comprising a stratigraphical and geographical arrangement of the fauna of the

world, and occupying the largest single portions of this section, are ready for the press.

Progress has been made in revisional work on the subfamily of marine fishes known as Crevallies, including publication of the following papers by J. T. Nichols: "Hynnis and Alectis in the American Museum of Natural History," and "A Key to the Species of Trachurus" (in the Museum Bulletin); "On the Genus Citula," "Caranx bartholomaei and ruber, compared," "Caranx crysos, etc.," "On the range and geographic variation of Caranx hippos" and "The Phylogeny of Carangin Fishes" (in Copeia); "Caranx guara," figured, in Forest and Stream. Two papers have been published describing new species and a new genus in the collection of Catfishes loaned by the Museu Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil. These papers are in English and in Portuguese. Collections from Bermuda and Turk's Islands, received in 1919 from Mr. L. L. Mowbray, have been studied. The former has been published on, and a paper on the latter in the Museum Bulletin is now in press. A faunal analysis of Dr. Murphy's Peruvian material is under way.

Mr. Van Campen Heilner of Spring Lake, New Jersey, an ardent rod and reel fisherman, spent a month at the Museum compiling a list of record size fishes which was published (Field and Stream) in 1920. This is merely a beginning in the accumulation of data of much interest to sportsmen, and it is hoped to continue the work in the future. As usual, some attention has been given to the study of the local Ichthyfauna. The Department from time to time has been in touch with various persons interested in it, more particularly with Mr. Roy Latham of Orient, Long Island, who each year submits a summary of his observations for revision before publishing them, and presents his rarer specimens to the Museum. The Associate Curator made a trip on the Aquarium's collecting boat in July and has recently visited the Aquarium to study the living fishes there and correlate such observations with those on Museum material. Popular articles on local fishes have been published as follows: "An Afternoon on the Sea Horse," "True or Long-finned Albacore," and "Finding Fishes on the Beach" (Forest and