228 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



sand pieces, which have been added to collections of a sim- 

 ilar character previously obtained by Messrs. Schumacher, 

 Harwood, Dall, and others. The expenses of these research- 

 es were shared by the Smithsonian Institution and the sur- 

 vey of Major Powell. 



In the autumn of 1876, Mr. G. Brown Goode, assistant cu- 

 rator in the National Museum, visited Bermuda, and remain- 

 ed there until the spring of 1877. His researches on that 

 island were exhaustive, and resulted in the discovery of 

 many species of marine animals either new to science or pre- 

 viously unrecorded by naturalists from that quarter. In this 

 work he had the co-operation of Mr. J. Matthew Jones, of 

 Halifax, who has for many years devoted himself to the 

 natural history of Bermuda. 



Several years ago Dr. J. F. Bransford, TJ.S.N., while on 

 duty with the expedition sent out by the Navy Department 

 to investigate the practicability of constructing an inter- 

 oceanic canal through Nicaragua, was attracted by the nu- 

 merous remains of ancient pottery, stone, etc. In 1876 he 

 was again sent out by the department to review some points 

 of the route, and once more in 1877. During these later 

 visits he made systematic researches into the archaeology 

 and natural history of Lake Nicaragua and its islands, and 

 forwarded large numbers of specimens to the National Mu- 

 seum. 



Let us now glance at one or two of the state surveys. 



Less than two years ago the State of New York appoint- 

 ed a Board of Commissioners of a trigonometric and to- 

 pographical survey, with Mr. J. T. Gardner as its director. 

 Mr. Gardner has had long experience in Western surveys 

 under Messrs. Whitney, King, and Hayden. With a small 

 appropriation, the primary triangulation, starting from one 

 of the United States Coast Survey triangles on the Hudson 

 River as a base, has been extended this year over an area of 

 about 3000 square miles, including parts of eleven counties, 

 in which one hundred and seventy points have been located. 

 Five primary stations have been occupied and three more 

 observed upon. The average length of the sides of the tri- 

 angles is about twenty-eight miles. All the angles were ob- 

 served by Mr. Gardner himself with a twelve -inch circle 

 reading to tenths of seconds by three micrometers. The 



