62 6 The Sinithsoniau Institution 



ber, 1895, published their results with the title, "The Com- 

 position of Expired Air and its Effects upon Animal Life." 

 They concluded that dust particles are the only really dan- 

 gerous elements in the air, and that it is improbable that 

 there is any peculiar volatile poisonous matter in the air ex- 

 pired by healthy men and animals other than carbon dioxide. 

 It forms one of the papers contained in Volume xxix of the 

 "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." In June, 1896, 

 the " Methods for the Determination of Organic Matter in 

 Air" used by Doctor Bergey was published by the Institu- 

 tion, and is contained in Volume xxxix of the "Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections." Both of these papers are cred- 

 ited to the Hodo-kins Fund. 



The year 1893 was conspicuously celebrated throughout 

 the United States as the four hundredth anniversary of the 

 discovery of America. In the annals of chemistry that 

 year stands out prominently as the one in which the Smith- 

 sonian Institution honored that science by the publication of 

 H. Carrington Bolton's magnificent " Select Bibliography of 

 Chemistry, 1492— 1892." Secretary Langley wrote: " It repre- 

 sents the labor of a lifetime on the part of a most industrious 

 student of the bibliography of chemistry, and is a work of 

 reference of such value that it is believed it will be a neces- 

 sity to every chemical investigator." It contains 12,000 titles, 

 and forms Volume xxxvi of the " Smithsonian Miscellaneous 

 Collections." The first edition was soon exhausted, and a 

 second one was issued. Dr. Bolton has in hand a supplement, 

 to include similar titles to 1895. 



The granting of funds for the purpose of prosecuting origi- 

 nal investigations in science is one of the means of increasing 

 knowledge that has been more common in the recent history 

 of the Smithsonian Institution than was formerly the case. 

 The present Secretary has ever shown a kindly feeling to- 



