THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 87 



by several servants, he crossed the river into Mexico, and went first to 

 Monterey in New Leon. Here he spent some time in examining the 

 Sierras south and west of that city, and thence proceeded to Parras in 

 Coahuila, 185 miles west of Monterey. He went next to the plains of 

 the lower Bolson de Mapimi, Durango, visiting there the celebrated 

 Durango caves. Owing to the desertion of some of his attendants, he 

 was unable to extend his journey further west, and retrac ng his steps 

 he explored the salt plain of Alamo de Parras before returning to the 

 United States by his original route. 



During the whole of this journey Lieutenant Couch gathered copious 

 collections in all departments of zoology, and made a large number of 

 original notes upon the habits of the species. Many new species were 

 obtained by him, and important discoveries made respecting the geo- 

 graphical distribution of others. A portion of the results thus secured 

 have been published by Lieutenant Couch, and others may shortly be 

 expected. 



When in Matamoras Lieutenant Couch purchased the entire collec- 

 tion of notes and specimens left by Doctor L. Berlandier. This was 

 the result of many years of labor in the province of Tamaulipas, and 

 provedfto be of extraordinary value. 



Coimt Cijpriani. 



According to Mr. Heap, Count Cypriani, ex-Governor of Leghorn, 

 left Westport in IMay, 1853, for a trip to California, via Fort Laramie 

 and the South Pass, Great Salt Lake, and Carson's Valley. His party 

 consisted of eleven scientific men and a sufficient escort, well provided 

 with all means of scientific research. No information has yet been 

 received of the further movements of this party. 



Explorations of S. F. Baird. 



B}' authority of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Mr. 

 Baird, during the summer of 1853, proceeded in company with Dr. 

 J. P. Kirtland, of Cleveland, to Racine, Wisconsin, where they spent a 

 week in exploring the streams and prairies in its vicinity, with the assist- 

 ance of Dr. P. R. Hoy and Rev. A. C. Barry, well known naturalists, 

 resident in that place ; and with them next visited the interior of the 

 Stare, spending some time at Madison, and returning via Milwaukie. 

 Dr. Kirtland and Mr. Baird next visited Ohio, spending some da^'s at 

 Elyria, and a week at Poland, Ohio. From Poland they went to 

 Detroit, where they were joined by Professor Charles Fox and Dr. 

 Davenport, with whom they visited Ann Arbor and Port Huron, 

 exploring, in addition, a considerable extent of Detroit river. Mr. 

 Baird next went alone to Montreal, and down the river below Quebec, 

 then back again to Lake Champlain. The principal result of this trip 

 covering over 5,000 miles, was the acquisition of veiy full sets of the 

 fishes of the lake basin over a water line of about 1,500 miles, serving 

 to develope important facts in regard to their geographical distribution. 

 A complete series of the fishes of Ohio, as described by Dr. Kirtland in 

 his "Fishes of the Ohio," was also secured from the original localities. 



