REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37 



The additions to the collection:^ of insects, during the 3'ear, have 

 been referred for identification, as usual, to the collaborators in the 

 line. of entomology, viz : To Baron Osten Sacken, Dr. Le Conte, Dr. 

 Loew, Dr. Hagen, Dr. Morris, Dr. Clemens, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Nor- 

 ton, Mr. Scudder, Mr. Ulke, and Mr. Uhler. 



The whole "number of entries on the record book of the Smith- 

 sonian collection, up to the end of 18G2, is, according to the statement 

 of Professor Baird, 74,775, and w.hen it is understood that each entry 

 is that of a lot which in most cases contains many specimens, some 

 idea may be formed of the whole number of specimens which have 

 been collected through the agency of the Institution, and the service 

 which will be rendered when all these are made available for the 

 advancement and diffusion of knowledge among men. 



The Museum of the Institution consists principally of the tjq^e 

 specimens of the various collections of objects of natural history and 

 ethnolog}^ obtained by the different exploring and surveying expedi- 

 tions sent out by the government of the United States, as well as by 

 various special expeditions instituted at the expense of the Smithsonian 

 fund. These specimens have generally been described, and in many 

 cases figured in the reports published by Congress, or in the Smith- 

 sonian or other transactions, and have thus rendered their chief ser- 

 vice in the way of advancing knowledge. Yet, in view of the future 

 progress of science, it is important, irrespective of their use for the 

 purposes of education, that these specimens should be carefully pre- 

 served, in order that they may be referred to as the original objects 

 from which the descriptions were drawn. It often happens that in 

 the subsequent study of similar specimens from other localities doubts 

 arise as to some points of the published descriptions, which can only 

 be solved by a reference to the original materials, and it is also fre- 

 quently desirable to re-examine the specimens in relation to some 

 new point of interest which may have been developed in the course 

 of more extended investigation. 



The additions to the museum should be confined principall}' to the 

 type specimens collected and described at the expense of the gen- 

 eral government, or under the immediate auspices of the Institution. 

 Even thus restricted the specimens will increase in number as rapidly 

 as that part of the Smithsonian fund, which is taxed for their sup- 

 port, will permit, and in time they will form of themselves a valu- 

 able collection of authentic illustrations of the natural history of 

 America. It is true, as is often urged, that the value of these speci- 



