pigeons, dovekies, etc., some not larger than very young chick- 

 ens. All the different kinds of these should be sought for and 

 secured, as also the different kinds of cormorants, gulls, ducks 

 and geese, and the land birds of the islands. Good col- 

 lections of birds made at Sitka and in possession of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution render it less necessary to prosecute careful 

 research into the ornithology of that Island ; but Kodiak, 

 Aonalaska, and the other Aleutians are almost entirely un- 

 known in this connection and any collections will be of value. 



4. Whenever the occasion offers, eggs of any species of bird 

 breeding in Russian America should be secured, and the parent 

 collected for identification. 



5. Of the fishes it is desirable to secure good skins of large spe- 

 cimens of all the different food-species, as cod, halibut, salmon, 

 sturgeon, etc., in order that they may be properly stuffed and 

 placed on exhibition ; the smaller kinds should also be repre- 

 sented as far as possible. The few species of reptiles occurring 

 in the country should be carefully collected. Any specimens of 

 shells, crabs, radiates, and other marine animals as well as the 

 different orders of insects, will be of interest to the naturalist. 



6. Specimens of the timber trees of the country should be se- 

 cured, and sections with the bark on should be made to show 

 the character of the wood. These should however always be 

 accompanied by specimens of the foliage and fruit of the same 

 tree to indicate its true botanical character together with an 

 account of the extent and magnitude of the forest. Specimens of 

 any other plants of known economical value should also be 

 obtained. To the botanist, complete series of all plants of the 

 different localities will be of much interest. 



7. Full collections should be made of the rocks and minerals 

 of the country at the different stopping points, as well as of any 

 fossil remains that may be found to occur. Notes should ac- 

 company these specimens showing their relationship to each 

 other and the country itself, and illustrated by diagrams indi- 

 cating the number, inclination, and relative thickness of any 

 strata that may be observed. 



8. If the services of a competent naturalist can be procured in 

 San Francisco, it will be of much importance and tend to add to 

 the value of the information relative to the economical natural 

 history of the country. An allowance too, will, probably have 



