KKl'OHT OF THK SKCKKTAKY. 1 '.) 



l>oen assembled. The I'osuUs of the investigation show that several 

 American species which haxc be(Mi proposed are (luite certainly nomi- 

 nal, and that, as a whole, the species of the Atlantic coast of North 

 America can not l)e distino-uished from those of Kuropean waters. 

 Some attention has been paid to the whales of the Noi-th Pacific. The 

 information previously recorded has been brouoht together in orderly 

 sequence and various new facts added, but the amount of material at 

 present availabh^ is insufficient to serve as a basis for discrimination 

 of closely allied species. It is certain, however, that the whales of 

 the North Pacific, with one exception, l)ear an extremely close resem- 

 l)lance to those of the North Atlantic. The C/alifornia Gray whale, 

 Rhtichlanectes (/laifcus, has no counterpart in the Atlantic. One well 

 known European species, the Pollack whale, Balmnopiera horealis, not 

 previously known in North American waters, was observed at the New- 

 foundland whaling stations while this volume was passing through the 

 press. The illustrations include views of the type specmiens of the 

 species proposed by Cope and Scammon; also niunerous representa- 

 tions of the different individuals of the Connnon Finback and the 

 Sulphurbottom, from photographs taken by the author at the New- 

 foundland whaling stations. The latter are of special value for the 

 study of individual variation in these huge animals. 



The series of Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections is intended to 

 mclude all the publications issued directly by the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion in octavo form, excepting the Annual Report, which is a Con- 

 gressional document. In the Collections are included reports on the 

 present state of our knowledge of particular branches of science; 

 instructions for collecting and digesting facts and materials for 

 research; lists and synopses of species of the organic and inorganic 

 world; Museum catalogues; reports of explorations; aids to biblio- 

 graphical investigations, etc., generally prepared at the express request 

 of the Institution and at its expense. 



A NEW QUARTERLY ISSUE. 



Since 18H2, when the series of Miscellaneous Collections was begun, 

 ther(^ have })een published 4:0 volumes, made up of sev(M-al hundred 

 individual papers. 



In order to ati'ord a medium for the early publication of the results 

 of researches conducted by the Smithsonian Institution and its bureaus, 

 and especially for the publication of reports of a preliminary nature, 

 I have decided during the past year to establish a quarterly issue of 

 the Miscellaneous C/ollections, which shall not supersede the regular 

 series, but be a part of it. Each number of the quarterly is planned 

 to consist of about 144 pages of text and to be suitabh' illustrated. 

 The first volume has been completed, and makes a book of 463 pages, 



