REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25 



important questions, making a pamphlet of 61 pages. In connection 

 with the summary of each opinion there is given a statement of the 

 case and the discussion thereon by the members of the commission. 



The commission has issued the following rules to be followed in 

 submitting cases for opinion : 



(1) The commission does not undertake to act as a bibliographic or nomencla- 

 tural bureau, but rather as an adviser in connection with the more difficult and 

 disputed cases of nomenclature. 



(2) All cases submitted should be accompanied by (a) a concise statement of 

 the point at issue, (6) the full arguments on both sides in case a disputed point 

 is involved, and (c) complete and exact bibliographic references to every book 

 or article bearing on the point at issue. 



The more complete the data when the case is submitted, the more promptly 

 can it be acted upon. 



(3) Of necessity, cases submitted with incomplete bibliographic references 

 can not be studied, and must be returned by the commission to the sender. 



(4) Cases upon which an opinion is desired may be sent to any member of the 

 commission, but — 



(5) In order that the work of the commission may be confined as much as 

 possible to the more difficult and the disputed cases it is urged that zoologists 

 study the code and settle for themselves as many cases as possible. 



INTERNATIONAL CONGRESSES AND CELEBRATIONS. 



Congress of Americanists. — The Institution was represented at 

 the Seventeenth International Congress of Americanists held at 

 Buenos Aires, May 16 to 21, 1910, by three delegates, Dr. Ales 

 Hrdlicka, of the United States National Museum; Mr. Bailey Willis, 

 of the United States Geological Survey; and Eev. Charles Warren 

 Currier, of the Catholic University of America. Doctor Hrdlicka 

 reports that the meeting was very well attended, particularly by 

 delegates from the various republics of South America. There were 

 read nearly fifty papers, many of them of considerable interest, and 

 related chiefly to the natives of South America. Mr. Bailey Willis 

 presented a communication on " Changes in the geological environ- 

 ment during the Quaternary period," and Doctor Hrdlicka gave a 

 resume of the present knowledge on "Artificial deformation of the 

 human skull, with special reference to America." 



The Institution also appointed Dr. Ales Hrdlicka its representa- 

 tive at the second meeting of the above congress to be held in the City 

 of Mexico, September 7 to 14, 1910. 



Upon the suggestion of the Smithsonian Institution, the Depart- 

 ment of State designated Doctor Hrdlicka, Mr. Willis, and Doctor 

 Currier as representatives of the United States at the above con- 

 gress at Buenos Aires. 



Geological Congress. — Dr. George F. Becker, of the United States 

 Geological Survey, was designated as the representative of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution at the Eleventh International Geological Con- 



