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4

Routine Work

The general care of collections has occupied the greater part of the time of our small force, and has prevented the accomplishment of much original work. A large quantity of material has been received during the past six months, and the greater part of it has been of such a nature as to demand immediate attention. The large collection brought in by the steamer Albatross, from the Gulf of Mexico, in April, was entirely sorted and catalogued by the first part of June, and placed in suitable condition to insure its safety until it can be properly worked over and identified. The Echini have already been determined and combined with the general collection representing that group; the fishes and mollusks have been separated out and transferred to the departments to which they properly belong. The collection of Fish Commission specimens received from Prof. Verrill, in May, has also been suitably arranged and catalogued.  The other accessions obtained during the half year and some of older date have been overhauled, assorted, and preserved in good condition. Among the latter were included many lots of surface towings, consisting, for the most part, of multitudes of small objects, which required much time and careful handling and in the assorting of which several hundred homoeopathic vials were used. 

Two of the groups of animals belonging to this department have now been nearly completely worked up, and conveniently arranged for reference. These are the crayfishes and Echini. For the revision of the former group we are indebted to the volunteer assistance of Prof. Walter Faxon, of Harvard College, whose studies upon our collections have