REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 83 



Eecord of Science and Industry, the successor of the Annual of Scien- 

 tific Discovery, established by J)avid A. Wells, in 1850. When Pro- 

 fessor Baird became Secretary of the Snjithsonian Institation his edito- 

 rial labors were abandoned, but the idea of his Annual Record of Science 

 and Industry was continued in the yearly appendices to the Smithsonian 

 report under the title of Record of Progress, and the scientific work of 

 the world for as many consecutive years is i>assed in review in the thirty- 

 eight volumes which combine the three series just referred to. 



"In the memoir which the writer is preparing it is his intention to 

 discuss in detail the great labors of Professor Baird in scientific admin- 

 istration and investigation, but his life was so full that it is only bj' 

 careful condensation that even an outline of its eventful -features can 

 be brought within the brief limits of this notice. 



"There may be noted in the career of Professor Baird several dis- 

 tinct phases of activi ty, namely : (1) A period of twenty-six years 

 (1843-1809) occupation in laborious investigation and vol utni nous i)ub- 

 lication upon the vertebrate fauna of North America; (2) forty j'ears 

 (184:0-1880) of continuous contribution to scientific editorship; (3) five 

 years (1845-1850) devoted to educational work; (4) forty-four years 

 (1843-1887) devoted to the encouragement and promotion of scientific 

 enteri)rises and the development of new workers among the young men 

 with whom he was brought in contact; (5) thirty-seven years (1850- 

 1887) devoted to administrative work as an officer of the Smithsonian 

 Institution and in charge of the scientific collections of the Government, 

 twenty-eight (1850-1878) as principal executive officer, and nine (1878- 

 1887) as Secretary and responsible head; (6) sixteen years (1871-1887) 

 as head of the Fish Commission, a philanthropic labor for the increase 

 of the food supply of the world, and, incidentally, in prou»oting the 

 interests of biological and })hysical investigation of the waters. 



"Tiie extent of his contributions to science and scientific literature 

 may be at least partially comprehended by an examination of the bib- 

 liography of his i)ublications issued by the Institution in 1883.* The 

 list of his writings is complete to the end of the year 1S8L*, and contains 

 1,003 titles. Of this number, 775 are brief notices and critical reviews 

 contributed to the Annual Record of Science and Industry, while under 

 his editorial charge; 31 are reports relating to the work of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution ; 7 are reports upon the American fisheries ; 25 are 

 schedules and circulars officially issued, and 25 are volumes or jiapers 

 edited. Out of the remaining 200 the majority are formal contributions 

 to scientific literature, among them the two classical works upon the 

 Mammals of Xorth America and the Birds of North America (Volumes 

 VI I r and ix of the Pacific Railroad Reports). These were the only ex- 

 tended systematic treatises upon those groiii)s which had at that time 

 been prepared, of scope sufficient to embrace the fauna of the entire 

 continent. They are still standard works of reference, and every spec- 

 * Bulletin xx, IT. S. National Mnseuui. 



