FORTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1883-1885. 969 



Those words have been put into this bill this year, of course result- 

 ing in an increase of the labor of the entomological division and largely 

 increasing its expenditures if it is to do the work that has been assigned 

 to it. The reason for this has come about in this wise: There has been 

 organized in this country an ornithological union, composed of the 

 leading naturalists of this country, extending over the entire country 

 and also over Canada. There has also been organized an international 

 ornithological union, and these unions of the different civilized coun- 

 tries are acting in connection. Some of them have been at work for 

 several years. The unions of the various countries have applied to 

 their respective governments, asking that the governments take up 

 this work to a certain extent — that is, the work of the collation of 

 facts and the publications of facts. 



These ornithological unions, which are studying the questions des- 

 ignated in these lines, are doing the work voluntarily for the advance- 

 ment of science and the good of mankind in general. These asso- 

 ciations are entirely voluntary, and all their work is done without 

 compensation for love of the cause. They have collected and are col- 

 lecting- large amounts of information upon this subject, which is very 

 valuable and is undoubtedly to be of great value to the agriculturists 

 as a class. They do not feel able to undertake the work of classifying 

 and collating the information which they have obtained or of publish- 

 ing it for the benefit of the world, and they have asked for the action 

 indicated in the lines which I read. 



During the past two 3^ears there have been scattered all over the 

 United States more than a thousand gentlemen engaged in making 

 these observations. Circulars were prepared and sent out to all the 

 various stations by the Smithsonian Institution at the request of the 

 Ornithological Union, of course the expense being paid by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, as under the law it had a right to do; but it is not 

 able to go on with the proper publication of these results. A very 

 large amount of information has been obtained. All the light-house 

 keepers in the United States and in Canada have been instructed by 

 the proper department to obtain the information desired; blanks have 

 been furnished them, and they have made regular reports, and these 

 reports have come in in very large numbers. 



The Ornithological Union presented some weeks ago to Congress a 

 memorial full}" setting forth the work thej^ were doing and what they 

 desired the Government to do in the premises. 



* ****** 



This matter was laid before the Department of Agriculture and 

 brought to the attention of the Smithsonian Institution, and Professor 

 Baird joined in recommending this action, and of course an appropria- 

 tion is needed. The result has been that authority to undertake this 

 investigation and the compilation of the statistics and the data which 



