REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 83 



Ivoconl of Scieuce ami Industry, the successor of the xVnuual of Scien- 

 titic Discovery, established by David A. Wells, in 1850. When l*ro- 

 fessor Baird became Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution his edito- 

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

 and Industry was continued in the yearly ai)pendices to the Smithsonian 

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

 the world for as many consecutive years is passed in review in the thirty- 

 eight volumes which combine the three series just referred to, 



"lu 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 by 

 careful condensation that even an outline of its eventful features can 

 be brought within the brief limits of this notice. 



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

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

 (1843-1869) occupation in lal)orious investigation and voluminous pub- 

 lication upon the vertebrate fauna of North America ; (2) forty years 

 (1840-1880) of continuous contribution to scientific editorshi[); (3) five 

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

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

 enterprises and the development of new workers among the young men 

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

 1887) (h'voted to adniinistrative 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; (0) sixteen years (1871-18S7) 

 as head of the Fish Commission, a i)hilanthropic labor for the increase 

 of the food supply of the world, and, incideutally, in promoting the 

 interests of biological and physic'al investigation of the waters. 



"The extent of his contributions to scieuce and scientific literature 

 may be at least i)artially comprehended by an examination of the bib- 

 liography of his publications issued by the Institution in 1883.* The 

 list of his writings is complete to the end of the year 1882, and contains 

 1,00.) tithes. Of this number, 775 ar(? brief notices and critical reviews 

 contributed to the Annual iiecord of Science and Imlustry, while under 

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

 sonian Institution; 7 are reports upon the Ameri(;an fisheries; 25 are 

 schedules and circulars officially issued, and 25 are volumes or ]>apers 

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

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

 .Mammals of North America and the Birds of North ximerica (Volumes 

 VIII and IX of the Pacific Railroad Reports). Tiiese were the only ex- 

 tended systematic treatises upon those groups which had at that time 

 beeu [)repared, of sc(>pe sullicient to embraec^ the fauna of the entire 

 continent. They are still standard works of reference, and every sj)ec- 



* Uulletiu XX, U. 8. Natioual Museum. 



