54 S. Mis. 53. 



during the year 1S52, for safe-keeping and ihe preparation of reports, 

 have been quite numerous. The zoological and pala3ontological series 

 gathered by Mr. John H. Clark, under Lieutenant Colonel Graham, 

 while on duty with the United States and Mexican boundary survey, 

 far exceed any before made, under similar circumstances, in North 

 America, considered in reference either to their extent or perfection 

 of preservation. Major Emory has also sent in valuable specimens 

 from the boundary, likewise collected by Mr. Clark. The Commissioner 

 of the General Land Office deposited the extensive series of minerals 

 and fossils collected by Dr. D. D. Owen, while engaged in the geolo- 

 gical survey ol Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The very extensive 

 and valuable collections made during a three years' residence in Chili 

 by Lieut. J. M. Gilliss, U. S. Navy, have also been deposited by him, 

 under authority from the Secretary of the Navy. They consist of nu- 

 merous and well preserved skins of birds and mammals, reptiles, fishes, 

 and invertebrates, in alcohol or dried, and plants, fossils, and minerals. 



Many valuable collections have been received from meteorological and 

 other regular correspondents of the Institution. These, scattered over 

 the entire North American continent, constitute a corps always active 

 in accumulating facts and materials of the highest importance in the 

 promotion of science. 



Some interesting specimens have been received by the Smithsonian 

 Institution, under an engagement made with several societies and sur- 

 veys to name collections which may be sent for that purpose. Such 

 specimens, if necessary, are sent to naturalists residing out of the city, 

 who make their examinations and report the results to the Institution. 



The American Fur Company, ever ready to recognise the claims of 

 science, has authorized the Institution to supply their posts on the upper 

 JMissouri with the materials for preserving specimens of natural histoiy. 

 For this purpose, through the kind agency of Dr. George Engelmann, 

 of St. Louis, a quantity of alcohol and of arsenic was distributed at 

 various points along that remete region, which will, no doubt, in time 

 yield good fruit. The report for 1850 shows how much has already 

 been done by gentlemen connected with the company, and it is hoped 

 that the results for 1853 will in no degree fall behind what is there 

 recorded. 



I shall now proceed to give a brief systematic account of the speci- 

 mens received, referring to the alphabetical list of donors for fuller 

 information on the subject. 



Mammals. — The collection of mammals from Northern Europe, an- 

 nounced last year as having been transmitted by the Academy of Sci- 

 ences, Stockholm, has since arrived, and fully realized the anticipations 

 of its value. It consists of well-preserved skins and skeletons of nearly 

 all the larger species, as reindeer, elk, stag, bears, wolves, foxes, glut- 

 ton, &c. All of them are indispensable to the proper determination of 

 the allied American species — a task which could never before be 

 accomplished for want of just such material. At the present time the 

 Smithsonian Institution is in possession of the best collection of the 

 larger North American and European mammalia, both skins and skele- 

 tons, to be found in the United States. 



A skin oi' Bassaris asttita, brought by Captajp Marcy from Red river, 



