502 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1898. 



Journals, mailed to subscribers 34 



" mailed to exchanges 14 



" sent to exchanges through Inter- 

 national Bureau (Smithsonian Inst.) . . 52 



Total, 100 



The edition of the Proceedings is 1,000 copies, of the Journal 500. 



The stock of the publicationsof the Academy had been removed 

 in the fall of 1897 to the basement of the new building so as to make 

 room for the office of the Executive Curator and for the growth of 

 the library. Roomy and convenient storage cases had been pro- 

 vided, a new account of stock had been taken, and it was believed 

 that this important part of the Academy's possessions was at last 

 safely and permanently placed, with sufficient room for the additions 

 of many years to come and without danger of being again crowded 

 out by the growth of other departments. It was found later that 

 the basement was not entirely free from suspicion of dampness and 

 that the dust found its way through even comparatively air tight 

 doors and would therefore be objectionable. These evils might 

 have been remedied, but it was impossible to provide against the 

 accident which has made another removal absolutely necessary. 



It occurred on the third of last August in the form of the 

 heaviest rain-fall ever known in this region. Its suddenness and 

 volume was that of a tropical storm. Streets became rapid torrents, 

 the fence on the south side of the Academy's premises was torn 

 down, the excavated lot rapidly filled, with no outlet except through 

 the basement of the new museum building, where the water in a few 

 minutes reached a height of three feet. The publications on the 

 lower range of shelves were soaked, and before they could be re- 

 moved to the upper floors, where as rapidly as possible they were 

 spread out to dry, they sustained further damage from the mildew 

 consequent on the high temperature and humidity of the season. 

 The recent illustrations by photographic processes will have to be 

 replaced in both Proceedings and Journal as the peculiarly pre- 

 pared paper has been welded by the dampness and pressure into 

 masses of cardboard while the older lithographic plates printed 

 on honest linen paper are comparatively uninjured. The damaged 

 numbers have been placed in piles on the upper floors of the 

 new museum building where they are at present safe from further 

 injury except to some slight extent from dust ; but the necessity for 

 providing space for the entire stock of the back publications of the 



