366 The Smithsonian Institution 



the field of systematic zoology, but the work of every depart- 

 ment of the Museum is reflected in its pages. 



A few years before the establishment of the " Proceedings," 

 in 1875, the Museum began the publication of a series of 

 monographic works, under the general title of the " Bulletin 

 of the United States National Museum," which in 1895 had 

 reached 49 numbers. This series does not differ essentially 

 in character from the " Proceedings," but comprises for the 

 most part works too large to be conveniently included in the 

 latter journal, and generally of a more comprehensive scope. 



The regular series of both "Proceedings "and "Bulletin" are 

 in octavo, but the Museum has also published three numbers 

 of the latter series as " Special Bulletins" in quarto. Two 

 of these contain " Life Histories of North American Birds, 

 with special reference to their breeding habits and eggs," by 

 Major Bendire, and the third a treatise on "Oceanic Ichthy- 

 ology," by Doctor Goode and Doctor Tarleton H. Bean. 



The Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 

 Institution until 1884 consisted each year of a single volume 

 in which was included a statement of the operations of the 

 National Museum. The Report of 1884, however, and those 

 of subsequent years have been published in two volumes, 

 of which one is devoted exclusively to a statement of the 

 work of the Museum. In connection with the administrative 

 reports contained in these volumes have been published a 

 series of illustrated papers of a non-technical character de- 

 scriptive of various collections in the Museum. These papers 

 have the same interest for non-professional readers that the 

 technical papers in the " Proceedings" have for investigators, 

 and the demand for them reveals a widespread interest in 

 zoology, botany, anthropology, and those other subjects with 

 which the work of the Museum has been most closely con- 

 nected. 



