REPORT OF PROFESSOR RAIRD, 



SECRETAEY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: 



For the year ending Jun^ 30, 188G. 



To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution : 



Gentlemen : I have tbo honor to present herewith the rex)ort of the 

 operations and condition of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 

 1885-'8G. In accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Board at 

 its meeting held January 21, 1885, that the fiscal year of the Institution 

 shall hereafter terminate on the SOth day of June in each year, and the 

 annual report of the Secretary shall hereafter be prepared, printed, 

 and sent to each member of the Board on or before the 1st day of De- 

 cember in each year, the present report covers the period from July 1, 

 1885, to the close of June, 188G. 



As heretofore, this report includes, in addition to the account of the 

 operations of the Institution itself, a summary of the work performed 

 by the branches of the public service placed by Congress under its 

 charge, namely, the National Museum and the Bureau of Ethnology. 

 To this will be added a sketch of the work of the United States Fish 

 Commission, which is also under my charge, and of that of the United 

 States Geological Survey (kindly furnished by its Director), which, al- 

 though entirely independent of the Smithsonian Institution, is yet in 

 close relation with it by reason of its field of exploration, and especially 

 through the valuable accessions of material furnished by it to the Na- 

 tional Museum. 



THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



inteoductory. 



No event of special importance has occurred during the year, the 

 usual operations of the Institution having been steadily carried on, but 

 with a marked increase in routine work. The system of international 

 exchanges formerly conducted with only two assistants has lately re- 

 quired the constant labor of nine and at times of several more em- 

 ployes. The correspondence which at one time was carried on by the 



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 H. Mis. 170 1 



