REPORT OF THL SECRETARY. 45 



Wasliiugtou ill June, the collection presented to the Mn«eum by the 

 Anieiicau Institute of Mining Engineers, and which has for some years 

 been stored in Philadelphia, under the care of Mr. Thomas Donaldson, 

 commenced to arrive and claimed his attention during the remainder of 

 the fiscal year. 



BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. 



For continuing the prosecution of ethnological researches among the 

 North American Indians during the year 1885, under the general super- 

 vision of the Smithsonian Institution, an appropriation of $40,000 was 

 made by Congress. The charge of this interesting work — so valuable for 

 the advancement of anthropological knowledge — still remains under the 

 eflicient direction of Maj. J. W. Powell. 



The explorations in this field for the collection of information and 

 material, being mainly conducted during the summer months, the re- 

 sults cannot be collated and discussed till late in the fall. And as the 

 present report is brought down only to the 1st of July, a notice of the 

 operations of this Bureau for the year 1885 must necessarily be post- 

 poned until the next annual report. 



UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



While this important branch of the public service is in its organiza- 

 tion entirely independent of the Smithsonian Institution, yet its inti- 

 mate relations to the latter, not only in the advancement of original 

 scientific research, but particularly in the valuable contributions made 

 bj' it to the stores of the National Museum, have seemed to justify an 

 annual summary of its general operations. Maj. J. W. Powell continues 

 to administer in a highly satisfactory manner the responsible duties of 

 his position as Director of the Survey. 



In this department also, as in that last referred to, the field work is 

 still in progress at the closing of this report. And hence, for the rea- 

 son assigned, no details of the work and its results can here be given. 

 The character of the geological operations for the year will be concisely 

 presented in the report of 1885-'86. 



THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



The work of the Commission has been prosecuted on about the same 

 scale as during the year 1884, the usual attention being paid to the pro- 

 duction of trout, salmon, whitefish, and other species, and to the gen- 

 eral investigations into the fisheries of the country. 



The steamer Albatross, which was sent to the Gulf of Mexico, partly 

 to represent the United States Fish Commission at the ^aw Orleans 



