REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



83 



iV?/ »(/>(■/• ()/ ri. si torn to the Mimii 



m and Smithsonian bnildiiK/n .tincc th 

 mer in 16S1. 



e opening of the for- 



QUESTIONS OF CORRESPONDENTS AND REQUESTS FOR 

 IDENTIFICATION. 



lu an e,litorial in the Londou <• Athen*um " not long ago, it xva, s-,i,f 

 that there ,s not a department of the Briti.,h Governn.cnt , Ihi, i 



ihls .seems hard to believe, for I can not think of any scientific subiect 

 egardmg wh.ch a letter, if addressed to the scientific bureaurin Wash 



zrno:zit zxz: "," ;r ^"^"^'^' ™'"^- >' '^ '-^^ 



tuac not less than 20,000 such letters are received each year The 

 Smithsoman In.stitntion an,l National Museum alone ece.ve abott 

 fi,000 and the proportion of these from the new States and Territ^ ie 



the larti: '^iTt^'^f ""'"""""^ "' '^'""'"^ "f their :^r,^ 

 the largest. An intelligent question from a farmer on the Iroiitier 

 receives as much attention as a communication from a rov' alademv 

 01 sciences, and often takes more time for the preparation i the r^pT 

 A large number of specimens are .sent to the JI„.senm e.ach vear bv 



e,rt""AUr' ; """r^ P"*-^"*' «^— "-y f» examnuto .'d 

 repoit Although very httle benefit to the Museum is dorive<l from 



he labor thus performe.1, it has always been the policyof the Museum 



to assist Its correspomlents in this direction as fat as practicable I v 



for the larger portion of the material received is geolo.dcal t" anti a 



fo sS S IT' T ":' "" '""'"■'^^''■'' °"'"S to lack of Vad, tt 

 Joi such work. A record is kept of each package received for exami 

 nation .and should the specimens prove to be of .sufflcien interest " 

 value, they are added to the collections of the Museum and hen ■ 

 acces.sion number. >-um aim 5,i\enan 



There were received for examination during the present year .510 

 lots 01 specimens, embracing Xos. 1775 to 23!)0: incluiive. 1 detailed 



