50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 
4 
New Mexico, and Arizona; of Dr. Irwin, in Arizona; of Dr. Hitz, 
about Laramie Peak ; of Lieutenant Couch, in Texas and Mexico ; of 
G. Wurdemann, Lieutenant Wright, Captain Woodbury, and others, 
in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico ; of Dr. Sartorius, Professor Sumi- 
chrast, Dr. Berendt, in Mexico; Dr. Von Frantz, J. Carniol, in 
Costa Rica; of Mr. March, in Jamaica; of Mr. Wright, Dr. Gund- 
lach, Professor Poey, in Cuba; Judge Carter, in Bolivia, besides 
many others. 
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In addition to the collections which have been received from ex- 
plorations organized under the direction of the Institution, large 
numbers of duplicate specimens have been presented by the meteor- 
ological observers and other Smithsonian collaborators, the whole 
forming a body of material for the iliustration and study of the pro- 
ducts of the American continent unequalled by any collection pre- 
viously made. The explorations, however, as might be inferred, 
have not been confined to the collecting of specimens, but have also 
-furnished information relative to the topography, geology, physical 
geography, ethnology, and the living fauna of the regions visited. 
The results have been published by government, the Institution, 
or other parties. The extent and importance of these publications 
may be seen in the volumes of the reports of the Pacific rai‘road and 
Mexican boundary surveys; of the United States astronomical expe- 
dition to Chili, under the late lamented Captain Gilliss ; of Captain 
Stansbury’s exploration of Utah; of Lieutenant Michler’s of the 
Isthmus of Darien, &c., &c.; in the volumes of the Smithsonian pub- 
lications, and in the transactions of nearly all the scientific institu- 
tions in the United States. 
In order to facilitate the operations of collectors, a series of gene- 
ral directions have been prepared and widely distributed, free of 
charge, for collecting, preserving, and transporting specimens of 
natural history, and also special instructions for collecting nests, eggs, 
shells, insects, &c. 
Description and distribution of collections and specimens. —The object 
of making these collections, in conformity with the policy of the In- 
stitution, was not merely to supply a large museum in Washington 
with permanent specimens or duplicates for exchange, but to furnish 
the naturalists of the world with the materials for advancing the 
science of the natural history of North America, and of facilitating 
the study of its various branches by supplying museums both in the 
United States and in Europe with sets of type specimens. 
