RECORD OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS FOR 1885. 



INTRODUCTION. 



While it has been a promineut object of the Board of Regents of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, from a very early date in its history, to enrich 

 the annual report, required of them by law, with scientific memoirs 

 illustrating the more remarkable and important developmeuts in phys- 

 ical and biological discovery, as well as showing the general character 

 of the operations of the Institution, this purpose was not carried out 

 on any very systematic plan until the year 1880. Believing however 

 that an annual report or summary of the recent advances made in the 

 leading departments of scientific inquiry would sup[>ly a want very 

 generally felt, and would be favorably received by all those interested 

 in the diffusion of knowledge, the Secretary had prepared for the re- 

 port of 1880, by competent collaborators, a series of abstracts showing 

 concisely the prominent features of recent scientific progress in astron- 

 omy, geology, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and 

 anthropology. 



The same general programme has been followed in the subsequent 

 reports, with the inclusion of geography and meteorology in the list of 

 subjects. The contributors to this record for the present year, and 

 their several departments or topics, remain substantially the same as 

 in previous reports, though with some omissions, much to be regretted. 



Prof. Edward S. Holden had prepared as usual the summary of astro- 

 nomical progress for 1885, but having accepted the i)residency of the 

 University of California, with the directorship of the Lick Observatory 

 on Mount Hamilton, in the confusion of moving from liis late position 

 at Madison, Wis., unfortunately mislaid his manuscript. At his re- 

 quest Mr. William C. Winlock, of the Naval Observatory at Washing- 

 ton, undertook, on short notice, to sn])ply the deficiency. This he has 

 satisfactorily accomplished. 



Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, owing to the pressure of his important duties, 

 has again been prevented from supplying the expected summary of 

 progress in geology. 



Commander Francis M. Green (U. S. N.), having been ordered to sea- 

 duty on a three-years' cruise, has also been prevented from furnishing 

 his accustomed rdsume of advances in geographical knowledge. This 

 chapter has for the present been supplied by Mr. J. King Goodrich. 



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