EXPLORATION WORK OF THE 

 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



By Frederick William True 



^\0 give a just conception of the work of the 

 Institution in connection with explorations in 

 the brief space which can be afforded in this 

 volume, is a task of much difficulty. Its in- 

 TT^^^^ fluence has been exerted in a thousand direc- 

 tions, and the extent and manner of its cooperation have 

 varied greatly in different instances. Furthermore, from its 

 policy of aiding where aid seemed most needed, it has very 

 naturally joined in enterprises from year to year which had 

 no essential connection with one another. In a single year 

 it assisted in explorations in Alaska, in Ecuador, and in 

 Ohio. The character of the explorations in which the In- 

 stitution has interested itself has varied no less than the field 

 they cover. While it may perhaps be said that more aid has 

 been rendered to zoological exploration than any other, re- 

 searches in anthropology, botany, geology, and geography 

 have also received a laree share of attention. 



Though frequently showing itself willing to bear the bur- 

 den of expense, the funds of the Institution have never been 

 sufficient to enable it to defray the whole cost of explorations 



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