32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



87° + north. It is the " Cumberland Straits" of Baffin, who was its orig- 

 inal discoverer at the end of the sixteenth century ; again rediscovered 

 by Captain Penny in 1839, who named it Hogarth Sound; and still again 

 it was visited by Captain Wareham in 1841, who, unconscious of his 

 predecessors, named it once more anew as Northumberland Inlet. It 

 has become latterly a frequented place of resort for Scotch and American 

 whalemen, whose ships frequently winter on the southwest shores of its 

 boundaries. 



Here Mr. Kumlien passed seven or eight months in close intercourse 

 with the Eskimo, and neglected no opportunity for study of this people. 

 His detailed account of the curious habits and mental characteristics ox 

 the Innuit is one of the most complete and finished descriptions ever 

 given of them ; clear, succinct, and comprehensive, it is a valuable 

 ethnological pen picture. 



Mr. Kumlien paid attention to the various subdivisions of natural 

 history, and made as full notes as possible, under the circumstances, upon 

 the mammals, birds, and fishes of the region. His limited means for 

 action, his scant accommodations on the little schooner, and the forced, 

 hasty departure from winter quarters gave no opportunity for exhaustive 

 collections of any kind whatever ; but the insects, the plants, the uiol- 

 lusks, and the algce secured have been carefully examined by experts in 

 these branches, and reported on in this bulletin, thus rendering it a 

 most valuable contribution to our knowledge of circumpolar life. 



Proceedings of the National Museum. — It had frequently been sug- 

 gested as desirable that the National Museum should have some medium 

 of prompt publication for announcing descriptions of specimens received 

 (many of which are new species), as well as presenting other interesting 

 facts relative to natural history, &c, as furnished by the correspondents 

 of the institution. The publication of the "Proceedings of the National 

 Museum" was accordingly commenced, the work comprising short de- 

 scriptions of the additions to the museum, accounts of new species, faunal, 

 and other lists, &c. It is printed in successive signatures, as fast as 

 copy sufficient for sixteen pages is prepared, each signature having 

 printed at the bottom of its first page the date of actual issue, for decid- 

 ing questions as to priority of publication. It is at once distributed to 

 scientific societies and leading naturalists in this country and in Europe. 

 The list of important articles of greater or less length already printed, 

 and forming the volume for 1878, is as follows : 



ByTarleton II. Bean. Description of a new sparoid fish from Savan- 

 nah bank; on the occurrence of Stichceus punctatus, at Saint Michaels, 

 Alaska; on the identity of Euehalarodus putnami, Gill, with Pleuronectes 

 glaber (Storer) Gill, with notes on the habits of the species; description 

 of a species of Lycodcs from Alaska, believed to be undescribed. 



By L. Belding. A partial list ot the birds of Central California. 



By Caleb Cook. The manufacture of porpoise oil. 



