THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 241 



by Dr. Harlan, but were erroneous^ referred to the Megalonyx. Dr. 

 Leidy, in his memoir, describes the collection of the remains of this 

 animal belonging to the New York Lyceum. 



The Megatherium, which is the largest of all the extinct sloth tribe, 

 when full grown, was more than fourteen feet long, including the tail, 

 and eight feet high. It was first discovered in South America, but 

 has since been found in Georgia ; and it was from this locality, the 

 only one in the United States yet known, that the remains described 

 by Dr. Leidy were obtained. 



The fourth and new genus of American sloths, called the Eriptodon 

 by the author, is established upon a peculiar form of teeth which 

 belonged to an animal of about the size of the Megalojiyx, the bones of 

 which were also found in Georgia. 



Dr. Hays, one of the commission to which this memoir was sub- 

 mitted, remarks in his report, that " the author has not only made 

 valuable additions to our knowledge of an interesting tribe of animals, 

 but has also collected and arranged the facts previously known so as 

 to throw new light on the subject, and to render his memoir an im- 

 portant starting-point for future investigators." 



Grammar of (he Choctaiu language. 



The publication of the volume on the Dakota language, described in 

 the last Report, has called forth another important memoir on compara- 

 tive philology, namely, a Grammar of the Choctaw language, by the 

 Rev. Harvey Byington, tor thirty years a missionary among the In- 

 dians. 



It was referred for examination to Professor Felton, of Cambridge, 

 and to Professor Gibbs, if Yale College, both of whom pronounced it 

 an important addition to ethnology, and warmly recommended its 

 pubUcation. The work was afterwards placed in the hands of Pro- 

 fessor W. W. Turner, formerly Professor of Hebrew in the New York 

 Theological Seminary, now librarian of the United States Patent Office. 

 Previous to sending it to the press, the author, after numerous inter- 

 ▼iews with Professor Turner, concluded that his memoir was suscep- 

 tible of so much improvement by a further study of the language, that 

 he asked leave to withdraw it for a time. This request was of course 

 granted, and Mr. Byington has returned to his missionary labors, and 

 will again present the work after it has received the desired improve- 

 ments. 



Reports and other minor publications. 



Since the date of the last Report to the Regents, the following articles 

 have been printed and partially distributed : 



1. Directions for making Collections in Natural History. This is a 

 pamphlet of twenty-four pages, by Professor Baird, and is much called 

 for by the correspondents of the Institution. 



2. A work by Professor Jewett, containing an exposition of the sys- 

 tem adopted by the Smithsonian Institution for constructing catalogues 

 of libraries, by means of separate stereotype titles, with rules for the 



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