42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



species of Gould, Carpenter, Cooper, Stearns, Pease, H. and A. Adams, 

 &c. These have mostly i^assed through the hands of Dr. P. P. Car- 

 penter, of Montreal, but still required to be placed^ in suitable trays, 

 and provided with new labels and specially arranged for cabinet pur- 

 poses. He has also had charge throughout most of the year of the 

 record of additions to the museum, and the labeling of collections, espe- 

 cially those of ethnology and osteology. 



Meteorology. — The system of meteorology of the Institution has been 

 kept up as usual during the past year. The number of observers report- 

 ing to the Institution during this period is 515, and to the Medical 

 Department of the United States Army, to the records of which we have 

 free access, 140. The value of these observations increases with the 

 number of observers and the time for which the several series are con- 

 tinued. But observations, however long-continued and extensive, are 

 comparatively of little value unless they are reduced and discussed ; and 

 these operations can only be performed at the expense of great labor, 

 since thousands of figures have to be tabulated and subjected to various 

 arithmetical processes in order to deduce the general results which con- 

 stitute approximate scientific principles. As we have stated in previous 

 reports, the discussion of the rain and temperature has been for some 

 years in charge of Mr. Charles A. Schott. The results in regard to the 

 rain have been printed, and will form a part of the Smithsonian Con- 

 tributions for the year 1871. A general account of these results was 

 given in the last report, but in this it may be further stated that the 

 principal deductions are made from an original series of tables giving the 

 monthly rain-fall from the earliest periods from all sources in the United 

 States and atljacent countries down to 18G7. From these general tables 

 a series of consolidated tables of means for seasons and years, for the 

 whole time, is deduced. It was thought advisable, on account of the 

 great expense, to publish for the present the consolidated tables, and 

 to retain the others for reference or to answer special inquiries in 

 regard to the rain-fall of particular stations. The former have been kept 

 up to date, all the new materials having been incorporated ; and to extend 

 the system a large number of rain-gauges have been distributed to dif- 

 ferent parts of the country, and especially to the western States. 



The temperature records are still under investigation by Mr. Schott. 

 The work was in part temporarily suspended during his absence in 

 Europe as a member of the expedition for observing the total eclipse of 

 last December. The following is a statement of the present condition 

 of the dise-ussiou. 



The collection of material has for the most part been completed down 

 to the present time, and tables of hourly, bi-hourly, and semi-hourly 

 observations of temperature have been prepared. From these have 

 been deduced tables to be used for the correction of daily variations of 

 temperature. The daily fluctuation of the atmospheric temperature 



