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5 

Total, - 22,000.
Total number of entries in record for the year 1883. - 965.
Total number of specimens received to Jan.Ist.1884, - 1535.
Total number of entries in records to date, - 13745.

By authority of the Director a number of specimens have been distributed in exchange for others more desirable, but no complete sets of duplicates have been [[strikethrough]] kept [[/strikethrough]] ^[[made]] during the past year. It is hoped however soon to be able to arrange sets and in this way get rid of what is superfluous material.

The statement made in the report of the Curator for 1882, regarding want of accomodation for the Department of Reptiles is again urged, for at the present time it is well nigh impossible to accomodate further accessions; the reserve series shelves are filled and over crowded, and we are obliged to make use of the adjoining hall to store valuable specimens, which should properly be placed in the Curators room, in fact the entire collection of Testudinata is outside the Laboratory. Any attempt to establish a reserve and general series of foreign reptiles similar to those employed for our American reptiles must be fruitless under existing circumstances.

It is respectfully suggested that the Curator of the Department of Reptiles should be a salaried officer of the National Museum, and be required to give his entire time to the care of the collection which has now reached so great a magnitude as to warrant the additional expense. In making this suggestion the present Curator does not wish to be thought dissatisfies with his status, but he believes conscientiously that more time should be given to original research, which from the present nature of his other duties he finds at present impossible.

In closing the Report the Curator