58 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS. 



Additions. — The receipts of specimens during 1861. as might have 

 been expected, Avere decidedly inferior to those of 1860, although 

 much of great interest to science has been added to the collection 

 since the date of the last report. Several explorations which had 

 been planned were, of necessity, abandoned, owing to various impedi- 

 ments and difficulties. Among these may be mentioned an explora- 

 tion of the region about Devil's river, Texas, by Patrick Duffy, hos- 

 })ital steward. United States array ; of Fort Churchill, by Lieutenant 

 John Feilner, United States army; and of Lake Winnepeg, by Donald 

 Gunn. These, it is hoped, however, are only deferred to be hereafter 

 resumed and carried out under better auspices. 



No government expeditions have furnished any collections during 

 1861, excepting the Northwestern Boundary Commission, and their 

 collections were all made in 1860, only arriving in 1861. All the rest 

 were derived from resident correspondents of the Institution, or from 

 gentlemen making explorations in the field in its behalf. A full list 

 of all such receipts is given herewith, to w^hich I would refer for par- 

 ticulars. 



In addition to the operations of Mr. Xantus, Mr. Kennicott, and 

 officers of the Hudson' s Bay Company, mentioned specially hereafter, 

 I may state that important contributions to our knowledge of the re- 

 gions adjacent to the United States have been furnished by Mr. 

 Charles Wright, from Cuba; Mr. W. Thomas March, of Jamaica, and 

 Dr. Sartorius, of Mexico. 



Very valuable collections of type specimens have been received 

 from Dr. Hartlaub, of the Bremen museum ; Drs. Reinhardt and 

 Steenstrup, of the Copenhagen museum; Mr. P. L. Sclater, of Lon- 

 don; the Messrs. Yerreaux, of Paris; and Professor Agassiz, of the 

 Cambridge museum. 



The following are the explorations during the year from which the 

 largest results have been received: 



EXPLORATIONS. 



Exploration of Cape St. Lucas and the Gulf of California, by Mr. 

 John Xantus. — In the two last reports reference was made to that ex- 

 ploration following one of the region about Fort Tejon, California, by 

 the same gentleman. I have now to report that the series of tidal 

 and other observations made for the Coast Survey having been com- 

 pleted by Mr. Xantus, he has left Cape St. Lucas and returned to the 

 east. The whole of the collections made by him have not yet arrived, 

 but enough has been received during 1861, in continuation of pre- 

 vious years, to exhibit the ability and industry of Mr. Xantus as a 

 naturalist. Over sixty boxes, some of large size, with contents em- 

 bracing (and almost exhausting) every department of natural history, 

 prepared and packed in a perfect manner, accompanied by numerous 

 measurements, notes, and biographies, and all made in the intervals 



