PREFACE. 
The purpose of this bulletin is to present a list, with index to titles, 
of the publications of the U. 8S. National Museum, which consist of 
an annual Report, an annual Calg of Pr oceedings, Bulletins, Special 
Bulletins, and Circulars. 
The Report constitutes the second volume of the Smithsonian Report, 
and the first one thus issued is for the year 1884. A certain number 
of these volumes is assigned to the Museum for distribution to libra- 
ries, to correspondents, and to contributors to the collections, while a 
considerable part of the edition is distributed by members of Congress. 
The special papers in these volumes, for the most part describing 
ethnological collections in the National Museum, are furnished free to 
those interested. 
The series of Proceedings of the National Museum began in 1878, 
and 23 volumes, containing 1,240 separate papers, have been published. 
These papers, which are technical, describe, or are based wholly or in 
part upon, material in the Museum. The volumes are sent only to 
libraries, while the separate papers are furnished without charge to 
specialists and others engaged in scientific work. 
The first number of the Bulletin was issued in 1875. Of the latest 
in the series, No. 50 (The Birds of North and Middle America), only 
the first volume, relating to the Fringillide, has been issued. The 
bulletins are intended principally for libraries, but are also given to 
known specialists working on the groups to which they relate. 
Special Bulletins, in quarto, have been issued at irregular intervals, 
but this form has been used only where a size larger than octavo was 
deemed especially desirable. The last one published (No. IV) is the 
first volume of a monograph of the American Hydroids, and relates to 
the group Plumularide. 
The primary object of the issuance of the series of Circulars was to 
bring to immediate notice urgent wants of the Museum, or to promul- 
gate special information with the least possible delay. The first circu- 
lar was published in 1881, and at the time when the present list was 
sent to the Printing Office this series contained fifty numbers. 
None of the above-mentioned publications are sold by the Museum, 
but when the Museum can not supply them, persons desiring to pur- 
chase are advised to write to the Super feeieat of Documents, Union 
Building, Washington, D. C. 
ee cionally the iiccesn exchanges its publications for desirable 
specimens. 
