298 REPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



of them, since snch credit is not only due to the name of Smithson, but also to the 

 directors of the establishment, as vouchers to the world that they are faithfully car- 

 rying out the intention of the bequest. 



Fourth. It may be proper, in the distribution to institutions abroad, as a general 

 rule, to require, in case tyi)e si)ecimens to illustrate species which have been described 

 by foreign authors may be wanted for comparison or other uses in this country, that 

 they be furnished at any time they may be required. 



Fifth. In return for specimens which may be presented to colleges and other edu- 

 cational establishments, collections from localities in their vicinity, which may be 

 desirable, shall be furnished when re(i[uired. 



In the disposition of the undescribed specimens of the collection, it is impossible 

 to be governed by rules quite as definite as those which relate to the previous class, 

 but the following considerations have been adopted as governing principles : 



1. The original specimens ought not to be intrusted to inexperienced persons, or 

 to those who have not given evidence of their ability properly to accomplish the 

 task they have undertaken. 



2. Preference should be given to those who are engaged in the laborious and diffi- 

 cult task of preparing complete monographs. 



3. As it would be illiberal to restrict the use of the specimens and confine the 

 study of them to persons who can visit Washington, the investigator should be 

 allowed to take them to his place of residence and to retain them for a reason- 

 able time. 



4. The investigator must give assurance that he will prepare a set of type speci- 

 mens for the Smithsonian museum, and will return all the duplicates, if required. 



5. In any publication which may be made of the results of the investigation, 

 full credit must be accorded to the Institution for the facilities which have been 

 afforded. 



All these i)ro visions on the part of the Institution were carried out 

 as far as the circumstances would permit. The money available was 

 insufficient for employing paid assistants to any considerable extent, 

 and the Institution had the benefit of the voluntary assistance both of 

 many recognized authorities in the several branches of science and of 

 young students. The extent and importance of this aid can not be 

 overestimated. Collections which would have remained useless for 

 years were rapidly classified by competent naturalists and separated 

 into series, some to be reserved by the Institution and others to be 

 distributed to kindred scientific establishments and to colleges and 

 schools. 



The list of collaborators includes almost every name prominent in 

 American natural history in the last half century. Nor is this a mat- 

 ter for wonderment. The collections made by the exploring parties of 

 the Government in the twenty-five or thirty years following the found- 

 ing of the Institution contained a great number of highly interesting 

 forms of animals and plants previously unknown to science, and the 

 naturalists in whose hands the various series were placed constantly 

 enjoyed the delight of discovering these and making them known to 

 the world. The boundaries of American natural history were widened 

 in every direction. As regards vertebrates, Professor Baird remarked 

 as early as 1856 : 



Messrs. Audubon and Bachman describe about 1.50 North American species of 

 mammals. This Institution i)ossesses about 130 of these; and about 50 additional 



