294 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Among our honorary members death has not been idle. 

 Our losses during the year include Spencer F, Baird, the 

 well-known Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to 

 whose scientific labors and administrative talents that or- 

 ganization owes much of present usefulness; Isaac Lea, the 

 eminent conchologist, whose name is a familiar sound 

 wherever shells are studied, and F. V, Hayden, best known 

 through his scientific labors in connectioa Avith the U. S. 

 Geological Survey. 



The administration of the affairs of the Academy, for rea- 

 sons of which the members are cognizant, has been attended 

 with much more difficulty than usual. Especially has this 

 been the case with the Board of Trustees, composed largely 

 of new members, who were obliged, as a preliminary to active 

 work, to laboriously familiarize themselves with its affairs, 

 many of them of a complicated nature. This having now 

 been effected, we confidently expect soon to begin the im- 

 provement of our Market street property, and f uruish our- 

 selves, at the earliest possible date, with suitable quarters. 



The affairs of the Academy have been conducted with 

 such care and economy that, although it is believed its in- 

 ternal management has been greatly improved, it has not 

 been found necessary to borrow money for running expenses. 



REPOET OF THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 



During the past year over two hundred letters have been 

 written to members, principally inquiries as to what publi- 

 cations had been furnished to them. I regret to say that 

 the members who were not regular attendants had received 

 little or no publications whatever. To them publications due 

 have been supplied wherever possible, excepting in the case 

 of Vols. I, II, III or IV of our proceedings, whicli are now 

 entirely out of print. 



Three hundred and seven letters have been written to 

 foreign correspondents, almost all of them concerning the 

 librar}^ 



