REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. G5 



by Captain Page several years ago, is accompanied by Mr. Christopher 

 Wood as taxidermist, and has already sent home quite a large collec- 

 tion of birds, embracing several rare and perhaps new species. 



UNDER THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT. 



7. Wagon road from El Paso to Fort Yuma, under Colonel Leeclt. — 

 This expedition returned to Washington in 1858, but the collections 

 did not arrive until early in 1859. These were made by Dr. S. Hayes, 

 and consisted chiefly of a large and valuable herbarium, embracing 

 several new species of plants. 



8. Wagon road from the South Pass to California, under Colonel F. W. 

 Lander. — This party passed so rapidly over the country as to be unable 

 to do much in the collecting of specimens of natural history. Mr. 

 James A. Snyder, who had charge of this department, among other 

 duties, succeeded in obtaining specimens, both in skin and in alcohol, 

 of the very rare Lagomys princeps, or "coney'' of the Mormons, 

 These were captured in the Wahsatch mountains, to which, according 

 to Colonel Lander, they appear to be chiefly confined. 



IN CONNEXION WITH THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



9. Exploration of the vicinity of Fort Tejon and of Cape St. Lucas, 

 by Mr. John Xantus. — Among the very important researches in the 

 natural history of America, the explorations of Mr. John Xantus de- 

 serve particular mention. In previous reports, the collections made 

 by Mr. Xantus at Fort Tejon have been referred to. During a resi- 

 dence there of about sixteen months, from the summer of 1857 to the 

 autumn of 1858, although constantly occupied with official duties, he 

 has exhausted the natural history of the vicinity of the fort in the 

 most thorough manner. All departments are fully represented in his 

 collections, which filled thirty-five boxes ; the birds alone embracing 

 nearly 2,000 specimens and 144 species. 



Professor Bache, the Superintendent of the United States Coast Sur- 

 vey, having determined to establish a tidal station at Cape St. Lucas, 

 Lower California, Mr. Xantus was placed in charge, and reached the 

 Cape in April last. He has since that time made, in the intervals of 

 his official duties, and forwarded to Washington, collections which vie 

 in thoroughness with those of Fort Tejon, and exceed them in number 

 of species, embracing as they do the marine as well as the fresh water 

 and land forms. Of 42 species of birds first received from him, 8 are 

 new; of crustaceans, there are over 100 species, many of them new; 

 while in all other departments the collections have been proportion- 

 ately great. 



The results obtained at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus add another 

 to the many benefits to natural history as well as to physical science 

 rendered incidentally by the operations of the United States Coirt 

 Survey, as shown previously in the important collections of Lieutenant 

 Trowbridge, Mr. Wiirdemann, Mr. Cassidv, Mr. Wayne and others. 

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