﻿20 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  May 
  25, 
  1927: 
  Museunis. 
  Mr. 
  Chauucey 
  J. 
  Hamliu, 
  president, 
  American 
  

   Association 
  of 
  Museums. 
  

  

  June 
  1, 
  1927: 
  The 
  Blacli 
  Hilis 
  of 
  Soutii 
  Daliota. 
  Dr. 
  James 
  W. 
  Gidley, 
  

   National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  June 
  8, 
  1927 
  : 
  Goldfisli 
  and 
  Other 
  Aquarium 
  Creatures. 
  Mr. 
  Glen 
  C. 
  Leach, 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries. 
  

  

  June 
  15, 
  1927 
  : 
  Snakes. 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  S. 
  East, 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  June 
  22, 
  1927 
  : 
  The 
  Gold 
  Coast. 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  H. 
  Knowles, 
  director 
  of 
  agri- 
  

   culture, 
  Accra, 
  Gold 
  Coast. 
  

  

  June 
  29, 
  1927 
  : 
  The 
  coins 
  of 
  Asia. 
  Mr. 
  T. 
  T. 
  Belote, 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  PUBLICATIONS 
  

  

  The 
  12 
  series 
  of 
  publications 
  issued 
  by 
  the 
  Institution 
  and 
  its 
  

   bi'anches 
  constitute 
  a 
  chief 
  means 
  of 
  diffusing 
  knowledge, 
  correspond- 
  

   ence, 
  exhibitions, 
  and 
  lectures 
  supplementing. 
  The 
  first 
  secretary 
  of 
  

   llie 
  Smithsonian, 
  Joseph 
  Henry, 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  publications 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  that 
  its 
  fame 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  spread 
  

   through 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  the 
  monument 
  most 
  befitting 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Smithson 
  

   erected 
  to 
  his 
  memory. 
  

  

  These 
  publications 
  cover 
  nearly 
  every 
  branch 
  of 
  science, 
  although 
  

   anthropology, 
  biology, 
  geology, 
  and 
  astrophysics 
  have 
  predominated. 
  

   As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  publications 
  present 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  research 
  in 
  pure 
  

   science, 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  are 
  naturally 
  technical 
  in 
  character. 
  Two 
  

   annual 
  publications, 
  however, 
  are 
  intended 
  for 
  the 
  general 
  reader 
  — 
  

   the 
  Smithsonian 
  annual 
  report 
  and 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  exploration 
  

   pamphlet. 
  

  

  The 
  Smithsonian 
  annual 
  report 
  has 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  been 
  enriched 
  

   with 
  a 
  general 
  appendix 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  a 
  selection 
  of 
  some 
  30 
  articles 
  

   leviewing 
  in 
  nontechnical 
  language 
  recent 
  advances 
  in 
  all 
  branches 
  

   of 
  science 
  and 
  interesting 
  phases 
  of 
  modern 
  research 
  work. 
  Many 
  

   of 
  the 
  articles 
  are 
  reprinted 
  from 
  journals 
  which 
  have 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  

   circulation 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  and 
  would 
  therefore 
  otherwise 
  probably 
  

   never 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  American 
  readers. 
  The 
  following 
  eight 
  titles 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  at 
  random 
  from 
  the 
  30 
  articles 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  appendix 
  to 
  the 
  

   1926 
  report, 
  which 
  will 
  appear 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  coniing 
  autimm, 
  will 
  

   indicate 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  these 
  papers: 
  

  

  Influences 
  of 
  sun 
  rays 
  on 
  plants 
  and 
  animals. 
  

  

  Excursions 
  on 
  the 
  planets. 
  

  

  Cold 
  light. 
  

  

  The 
  cause 
  of 
  earthquakes; 
  especially 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  

   States. 
  

  

  How 
  beavers 
  build 
  their 
  houses. 
  

  

  Fragrant 
  butterflies. 
  

  

  Omaha 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow 
  makers. 
  

  

  Preventive 
  medicine. 
  

  

  