REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39 



each as a portion of Ibe JMiscellaneous Collections. In this way the dis- 

 tribution of the first edition can be made to special students and the 

 minor societies that do not receive full series of Smithsonian publications. 



In this manner the various numbers of the Proceedings of the Na- 

 tional Museum (forming- the volumes for 1878 and 1879) have been asso- 

 ciated together to form the nineteenth volume of the Miscellaneous Col- 

 lections as already indicated. A similar arrangement has been made 

 in reference to the transactions of the Philosophical Society of Wash- 

 ington, the first three volumes of which have been printed from tlie 

 stereotype plates, and will probably form Volume XX of Miscellaneous 

 Collections, to be issued early in 1881. 



The "Bulletins" of the Museum, as heretofore stated, are designed to 

 furnish check-lists, system of classification, and descriptions of the 

 natural history material on hand, for the purpose of illustrating the 

 zoological and ethnological collections belonging to the U. S. National 

 Museum, &c. 



The seventeenth Bulletin of the National Museum is on the zoological 

 position of Texas, by E. D. Cope. The author considers the subject of 

 the influence of environment on animal life, and the relation of the ne- 

 arctic and neotropical faunaj at their point of junction. Studies into the 

 zoology of Mexico have shown that the high plateau is populated by an 

 animal life which differs from that of the coastward plains. From in- 

 vestigations of the Batrachia and Ileptilia, which are incai^able of per- 

 forming migrations, the line of demarkation between the great northern 

 and southern realms is clearly' indicated. The general of South America 

 advance northwards along the lower lands of Central America and 

 Mexico to the mouth of the Eio Grande, which is about their northern 

 boundary. On the other hand various genera of tlie southern regions of 

 North America extend their range southward as far as the city of 

 Mexico. 



The great State of Texas is the field where the boundaries of the va- 

 rious genera is to be sought, since its fauna is of a most diversified 

 character. The geology, topography, climate, and vegetation of this 

 region are described, and the author then proceeds to a consideration of 

 the distribution of its vertebrate animals in the following order : Mam- 

 malia, Aves, Eeptilia, Batrachia, Pisces. 



The author concludes that Texas is to be placed within the nearctic 

 realm, for although it possesses a number of genera which are common 

 to this realm and the neotropical, there are mimerous genera which be- 

 long to the forper exclusively and very few that belong to the latter 

 alone. To display these relations lists are given side by side of genera 

 whose geographical relations are in these three directions. 



The species are shown in four geographical groups, (1) those of the 

 extreme southwest, (2) those of the plateaus, (3) those of the low coun- 

 try, and (1) the east. 



The discussion is a valuable contribution to science, and the paper has 



