REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21 



Central America by the steamer of the 20th December, and expects to 

 devote a number of mouths, under the auspices of Captain Dow, to the 

 investigation of the fishes of the two shores of the Isthmus. It is i^roper 

 to say that for the co-operation which the scientific enterprises of both 

 Messrs. Nutting and Gilbert have received from the Pacific Mail Steam- 

 ship Company, and the amount of service rendered generally by the 

 company in question in the explorations of the Smithsonian InstitutioUy 

 it is difiBcult to express our appreciation in words. For more than twenty 

 years, in all successive stages of administration, it has been ready to- 

 respond to any reasonable request for service, not only carrying the 

 agents of the Institution free of charge, but also franking the collec- 

 tions transmitted by them to Washington. 



South America. — From South America but little of importance has 

 been received, excepting from the Geological Survey of Brazil under 

 Prof. E. H. Derby. From him valuable collections of corals, fossils, &c.y 

 have been received, to be exchanged for some from the National Museum. 



Dr. Hering, of Surinam, has sent collections of living reptiles, of 

 objects in alcohol, and specimens of anthropology, which have proved 

 very acceptable. 



Mr. Thomas Herron, of Baranquilla, has also contributed some valu- 

 able archaeological specimens. 



Mr. W. F. Lee conducted an exploration in Peru and Ecuador with 

 some success during the months of July and August. He was obliged 

 to discontinue work on account of the hostility of the natives, who had 

 been prejudiced against explorers on account of the indiscretions of a 

 collector who had preceded Mr. Lee. 



China and Japan. — The researches of Dr. Dale and Mr. P. L. Jouy,. 

 in China and Japan, respectively, have been continued during the year 

 with very important results. Collections of great value of birds, mam- 

 mals, and other objects have come safely to hand from them. Dr. Dal© 

 returned to the United States in the early part of the year, but Mr. 

 Jouy remained in Japan and visited some comparatively little knowu 

 portions of the country, where he found objects of very great interest. 



Nothing of special moment has been received from the Old World^ 

 beyond some occasional specimens of natural history exchanged with 

 museums or individuals. These, with the details of the collections, 

 generally, will he found recorded in the list of accessions to the Na- 

 tional Museum during the year. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.— lu 1860 the Institution pub- 

 lished as one of the series of "Contributions to Knowledge," the regis- 

 ter of meteorological observations made at Providence, R. I., by Prof. 

 Alexis Caswell, extending over a period of twenty-eight and a half 

 years, from December, 1831, to May, 1860. After the death of Professor 



