REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. 



A. -GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



1. — INTRODUC'iORY REMARKS. 



In the report herewith presented will be found an account of the 

 operations of the United States Fish Commission during the year end- 

 ing December 31, 1881. 



In entering upon a second decade a few changes in methods of ad- 

 ministration have been made, some of which were rendered necessary 

 by the expansion of the work, while others have been suggested by 

 the experience of the first ten years. Some idea of the extent of the 

 correspondence may be obtained from the accompanying table prepared 

 by Mr. C. W. Smiley, in charge of the archives, showing the number 

 of letters written each month from 1871*to 1881, inclusive. The num- 

 ber received was much greater. Probably one-half of the latter were 

 answered by printed circulars or by furnishing publications of the Com- 

 mission. 



The table may be of interest, also, as showing the increase of corre- 

 spondence with succeeding years and steady exi)ansion of the work. 

 The decrease of the letters in 187G, the year of the International or 

 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, was due to the cessation of 

 field-work caused by the necessary occupation of the time of the Com- 

 missioner, for the greater part of the year, in connection with the Gov- 

 ernment participation on the occasion in question. 



Ntnnber of letterx written monthly in the office of the United States Fish Commisnio)i 



1871-1881, inclumce. 



Months. 



January ... 

 Fobrnary . . 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



Aujmst 



September . 



October 



November 

 December . 



Total 272 



34 

 65 

 41 

 27 

 44 

 48 

 97 

 46 

 45 

 26 

 86 

 88 



109 



102 



94 



104 



113 



86 



65 



98 



137 



82 



102 



116 



137 

 82 

 138 

 247 

 173 

 133 

 129 

 180 

 138 

 167 

 132 

 166 



1875. 



105 



115 

 204 

 182 

 217 

 103 

 275 

 187 

 232 

 220 

 2€1 

 114 



647 1.208 1,822 2,235 



1880. 



223 

 219 



241 i 



269 



337 



339 



276 



261 



3G0 



268 



a^8 



295 



366 

 492 

 631 

 411 

 416 

 515 

 486 

 331 

 283 

 305 

 410 

 422 



1881. 



365 

 398 

 412 



471 

 440 

 511 

 5.W 

 67ti 

 447 

 567 

 441 

 59; t 



3,325 ! 5,067 I 5, 67.i 



Up to the present year, or for eleven years, all the office and admin- 

 istrative work of the Commission was carried on in the private resi 



XIII 



