48 REPORT OF THK SECRETARY. 



brancli of the census of 1880, to obtain all the procurable information 

 in regard to fishery of the western coast; and leaving Washington in 

 December, 1879, after spending some time in San Francisco he proceeded 

 to San Diego and thence by successive stages to Puget Sound, his work 

 there overlapping and uniting with that of JMr. Swan. In this work he 

 embraced the opportunity of making extensive collections of alcoholic 

 specimens, of which no less than G5 large cans were transmitted. These 

 contain about 2G0 species of fishes, a number of them new to science, 

 and for the most part in sufficient numbers to supply many institutions 

 with duplicates, and to transmit desirable ex(;hanges abroad. 



The revenue steamer Gorwin, on her usual cruise in the seas of Northern 

 Alaska, during 1879, was accompanied by Dr. R. White, of the Marine 

 Hospital Service, and a trained, ardent naturalist. Many important col- 

 lections were made by Dr. White, especially of seals, including many 

 foetuses, birds, and fishes. His specimens were received in the early 

 part of the year, and submitted for examination to various experts. I 

 regret extremely to have to report the untimely death of Dr. White, 

 partly from exposure in the service. In a second cruise of the Concin 

 in theaSTorth Pacific and Arctic Ocean, in 1880, Cai)tain Hooi)er made 

 another collection of great interest, including a series of fossil bones from 

 Kotzebue Sound. 



Mr. Belding, of Stockton, Oal., has furnished some interesting objects 

 frotn the interior of the State. The most important contributions, how- 

 ever, from tlie inland portion of the Pacific region have been those 

 supplied by Capt. Charles Bendire, of the First United States Cavalry, 

 an officer the value of whose services in the develojjment of a knowledge 

 of the natural history of the West can scarcely be overestimated. For 

 many years, while statiooed at military jiosts, he has been occupied in 

 securing eggs, nests, and birds, and other objects, and placing the infor- 

 mation and material thus gained in tl^e bands of correspondents and 

 scientific specialists throughout the country. This service to science has 

 not involved any interference with his duties as an officer, his military 

 record being a brilliant one. Some months of the year 1880 were occu- 

 pied by Captain Bendire in the investigations of certain vexed questions 

 connected with the salmonidte of Oregon and Washington Territory. 

 Leaving with a small party of men he visited numerous localities and 

 brought in a series of fishes, which, when fully examined, will enable us 

 to solve many problems in regard to them. JMany other specimens, as 

 birds, «&c., were obtained by Captain Bendire and transmitted to Wash- 

 ington. 



Arizona has been represented by collections of living reptiles, fur- 

 nished by Dr. Corson and Dr. Moran, of the United States Army, as 

 also by a series of plants from Colonel Burr. 



The contributions from ]S"ew Mexico have been extremely important, 

 consisting, first, of a series, in 1879, of specimens gathered by Mr. James 

 Stevenson, with the assistance of Mr. Frank H. Cushing; and, secondly, 



