USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: 1895-1896

In the early years of the United States National Museum, specimens and collection objects were acquired at a remarkable rate. Now almost twenty years later, the Department of Fishes was experiencing a bit of a slow down, as curator Barton A. Bean notes in the curators annual report to Assistant Secretary Dr. G. Brown Goode. However, museum work is always a balance of activity and this report describes the highlights of the department's efforts. It is a good thing reports are submitted annually as there seems to be a discrepancy in the overall number of fish specimens in the Department's collections according to Executive Curator F. W. True. Join other volunteers in transcribing this handwritten report to increase its usefulness to future researchers. To learn more about the United States National Museum through its Curators Annual Reports collection, we invite you to browse the finding aid on the Smithsonian Institution Archives website.