REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 97 



t\n\ Govevmiient, (2) for letters received from officials of the Museum, 

 (o) tor re])orts of the scientitic and administrative oCticers of tiie 

 Museum, (4) for cross-references to letters from institutions and estai)- 

 lishments, (5) for letters relating to explorations in the results of which 

 the Museum expects to participate, 



IJy means of card catalogues are also recorded refereuces to all let- 

 ters containing unaccepted offers to present, deposit, exchange, or sell 

 si)ecimens to the Museum. This record has beeu found very useful 

 in supplying mforuuition to curators who may at any future time 

 be desirous of obtaining material which for some reason could not be 

 accepted at the time it was offered. 



Jjistyibution of puhUcations. — The transmissions of publications to 

 applicants making special request by letter have surpassed in number 

 those of any preceding year, and it is safe to say that the regular and 

 special sendings have aggregated upward of 35,000 publications, 

 including volumes and sei)arate pai)ers. 



Much attention has been given to the revision of the mailing lists, 

 llecordof the date of publication of each volume and pamphlet issued 

 has beeu maintained, and is of frequent service for reference, as is also 

 the catalogue record of lists of specialists to whom publications have 

 been mailed. 



By direction of the Secretary of the Institution, a copy of each pub- 

 lication, as soon as issued, is mailed to publishing houses representing 

 the Institution as agents in London, Paris, Berlin, Leipsic, and Milan. 



The innovations mentioned in the report for the preceding fiscal 

 year, especially regarding the distribution of publications «lirect from 

 this office, have proved satisfactory. The regular distributions to the 

 persons on the permanent lists are still nmde from the document room. 

 The special sendings forwarded from this office are recorded on sli^is 

 printed for the purpose, with the name of the ijerson or institution 

 supplied, the address, the serial number of the publication, and the 

 date of mailing. When the sending comprises both Smithsonian and 

 Museum publications, the package is transmitted from the Smithsonian 

 building, and a slip is filled out similarly to the above, with the addi- 

 tion of the name of the person upon wdiose recommendation the send- 

 ing is made. These slips are press-copied in books reserved exclusively 

 for this purpose, and constitute a permanent record. 



More than 4,000 labels have been written in connection with the 

 distribution of the Smithsonian allotment of the Museum Reports for 

 1801 and 1892 to institutions in the United States and abroad. 



The Museum Report for 1892, Bulletin 48, and Circulars 43, 44, 45, 

 and 46 were issued during the year. Proceedings ]>apers Xos. 981-1031 

 were distributed in pamphlet form, and also advance sheets of Nos. 1040 

 and 1041. 



WAT MUS 95 7 



