REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33 



Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa; the Riksmuseum, Stockhohn, SMeden; ]Mr. 

 G. Van Roon, Rotterdam, Holland; Mr. Jean Miguel, Barrubio, Herault, France; 

 Rev. Paul D. Bergen, Chefoo, China; Baron R. de Vriere, Zedelghem, Belgium; Mr. 

 R. Ruscheweyh, Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic; Mr. E. Y. Connell, St. Kitts and 

 Nevis, British West Indies; Mr. C. F. Pavona, MiLseum of Natural History, Univer- 

 sity of Turin; Prof. M. F. Colunga, Lima, Peru; Mr. L. Y. Ayson, 3Iasterton, Wel- 

 hngton, New Zealand. 



Dlflribulion of specimens. — Nearly 25,000 specimens were distributed (hiring the 

 year. A portion of these were sent in exchange for other material and the remainder 

 were distributed to educational establishments as gifts. In addition nearly 10,000 

 specimens were lent for study. The gifts consisted mainly of collections of marine 

 invertebrates, rocks, and ores, and casts of prehistoric stone implements. 



Specimens received for determination. — As in past years, a very great deal of time has 

 been devoted to the identification of material transmitted by correspondents for 

 examination. Five hundred and eighteen lots of material have been reported upon 

 ))y the various curators during the year just ended. A small number of specimens, 

 desirable for addition to the" Museum collections, have been retained, with the 

 consent of the senders, in exchange for the Avork of identification. 



T"i(>(<cir.'t.— During the year 192,471 visitors were registered in the Museum building 

 and 116,912 in the Smithsonian building, making a total of 309,383, showing an 

 increase overthe record of the preceding year of about 33,000. 



Publications. — The Annual Report of the National Museum for 1896 has been 

 issued and the papers in the appendix have also been published in separate form. 

 Volume 20 of the Proceedings was issued in August, 1898. Proceedings papers 1140 

 to 1178, inclusive, constituting volume 21, have been distributed since the beginning 

 of the last fiscal year. The editions of parts 2 and 3 of Bulletin 47, entitled "The 

 Fishes of North and ^liddle America," by Drs. Jordan and Evermann, were received 

 from the Government Printing Office late in the fall of 1898, and have also been 

 distributed. The complete work will include an atlas of j^lates. 



Expositions. — The Tran.s-]VIississippi and International Exposition, which opened 

 at Omaha on June 1, 1898, continued for five months. The Report of the National 

 ]Museum for 1898 contains a brief reference to the various series of exhibits prepared 

 by the 3Iuseum. A more formal and extended account will probably appear else- 

 where. Congress has made provision for participation by the Museum in exposi- 

 tions to be held at Buffalo in 1901 and at Toledo in 1902 or 1903. 



Respectfully suVjuiitted. 



Mr. S. P. Langley, 



Secretary of the Smiihsonian Institviion. 

 August 1, 1899. 



S3I D'J 3 



F. W. True, Executive Curator. 



