USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Birds: Annual Report 1896 - 1897

Missing from this Department of Birds annual report is curator Robert Ridgway's customary cover letter. The report begins immediately with the first question and the tone seems less personal than his reports from previous years. Still, buried in the midst of Ridgway's report are mentions that a collection was "radically rearranged" and another portion is "practically inaccessible." Help us transcribe this brief report to make it easier to get at the details that curator Ridgway was bringing to the attention of the United States National Museum director. Learn more about the collection of curators annual reports and browse the collection finding aid here.