REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 11 



up tbe arrearage of the work. The eleventh and twelfth annual reports 

 are in the hands of the i)rinter and will soon be completed. Several 

 lini)ers in the Bulletin series were issued during the year. 



Proceedings and Bulletins of the Wat Ion al Museum. — The publications 

 of the Museum are mentioned on another page under the general head 

 of "The National Museum." 



LIBRARY. 



In my report for 1S87-88 I detaile<l a plan for increasing the library 

 by exchanges. Lists of periodicals were secured from the British 

 Museum, several universities, and a great number of leading special- 

 ists, and these lists were carefully revised in the former year and corre- 

 spondence then entered upon with each society and journal represented 

 on them. This Work has now been completed, after nearly seven years 

 of labor. Since 1887, 5,831 letters have been written, resulting in the 

 addition of 1,853 i\q,\\ periodicals to the list of those received, and entire 

 or partial completion of 1,042 defective series. It is already time to 

 recommence this labor, vfhich ougnt to be never ending if the i)eriodi- 

 cal collections of the Institution are to continue to be wliat they are 

 believed to be to-day — the completest in the Avorld. Accordingly it is 

 my intention to have new lists i^repared and to continue this special 

 feature of the work of adding to the lil)rary by exchange during the 

 coming year. 



Through the provision of new quarters for the Bureau of Interna- 

 tional Exchanges I have been enabled to assign two additional rooms 

 for the use of the library, the one for a collection of books required for 

 reference, and the other as an office for the librarian, to the very great 

 advantage of the service. A room has also been set apart for the 

 collection of prints belonging to the Institution. 



The reading room of tlie Institution is no longer adequate for the 

 large collection of scientific periodicals received and for the persons 

 desiring to consult them. As it is not possible to assign any additional 

 room for the library at present, I am considering a plan for some modi- 

 fications in the present reading room which will render it more suitable 

 to its purpose. 



The total number of imblications of every kind received during the 

 past pear reached 39,82(3, an increase of nearly 9,000 over the previous 

 year. 



THE HODGKINS FUND. 



The many responses to the large number of circulars announcing 

 the terms of the Hodgkins competition, and the numerous rec^uests 

 for further information, have sliown that a widespread interest in the 

 subject has been awakened. In February, 1894, a second edition of the 

 circulars announcing the jirizes became necessary, which was issued 



