434 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



From a Letter of Professor S. P. Langley to the Hon. James 



B. Beck 2 



"Professor Baird was for thirty-seven years continu- 

 ously in the scientific service of the Government. In 

 connection with his duties as an officer of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, his principal work was the development and 

 care of the National Museum of the United States, which, 

 under his wise administration, has always been an impor- 

 tant element in the scientific and educational progress of 

 this country, its scale of operations becoming each year 

 greater and more highly appreciated both in this country 

 and abroad. He was also especially instrumental in organ- 

 izing the system of international exchanges of publica- 

 tions, which was always under his direct charge, and which 

 has been one of the most important agencies in the 

 development of the public libraries of the United States, 

 particularly in the departments of pure and applied 

 science. He was, furthermore, during his entire official 

 career, directly or indirectly concerned in the organization 

 and administration of the scientific work of the numerous 

 expeditions and surveys sent out under Government 

 auspices, from the time of the Wilkes exploring expedition 

 until his death. The reports upon the natural history of 

 the Pacific Railroad survey, Mexican Boundary survey, 

 and many of the other surveys of the West, were prepared 

 under his direction, and the two volumes of the report 

 of the Pacific Railroad survey devoted to mammals and 

 birds were written by him, and are still standard works 

 of reference. In addition to these reports he was the 

 author of several hundred important papers upon the 



2 Congressional Record, Senate, Vol. 19, pt. 7, p. 6916; July 27, 



1888. 



