52 ’ REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 
ticular regions. Appropriation has also been made to Professor 
Guyot for a barometrical survey of the different parts of the Al- 
leghany mountains, and to other persons for collecting observations 
on heights, as determined in different parts of the country by the 
various canal and railway surveys. 
The publications on these subjects, besides the papers of Professor 
Hitchcock on surface geology, are as follows: 
A memoir on Mosasaurus, by Dr. R. W. Gibbs. 
On the extinct species of the fossil ox and sloth of North America, 
and on the ancient Fauna of Nebraska, by Dr. Leidy. 
On the Physical Geography of the Mississippi Valley, by Charles 
Ellet. 
On the Law of Deposit of Flood Tide, by Admiral Davis. 
On the Fluctuations of the level of the great American Lakes, by 
C. Whittlesey. 
On the Paleontology of the Upper Missouri, and Check List of 
miocene, cretaceous and jurassic Invertebrata, by F. B. Meek. 
A memoir by Dr. Leidy, now in press, on the extinct reptiles of 
the cretaceous period, will, it is believed, be a valuable manual of 
reference. 
The Institution has published a Check List of minerals, with their 
symbols, prepared by Mr. Hegleston, with special reference to facili- 
tating the labelling of the Smithsonian minerals and the exchange of 
specimens, and it may be mentioned that extensive distribution has 
been made of specimens of building stone employed by the govern- 
ment. 
Botany.—This branch of general natural history has been advanced 
by the Institution, not only by means of the publication of original 
memoirs, but also by explorations and collections made at the expense 
of the Smithsonian fund. The most important work which has 
been published is a large quarto volume, illustrated by expensive 
colored plates, on the algae of the entire North American waters. 
The work was written for the Institution by Dr. Harvey, of the 
University of Dublin, and has been the means of rendering this 
order of the vegetable kingdom more generally known. The Insti- 
tution has also published several papers on the plants of New Mexico 
and California, by Dr. Gray, of Cambridge, and Dr. Torrey, of New 
York. 
Duplicates of the specimens described have been presented to in- 
stitutions at home and abroad. Considerable labor has also been ex- 
