REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 49 



The American Oriental Society occupied the hall for its annual meet- 

 ing on April 7 and 8, and the National Academy of Sciences from 

 April 19 to 21, the latter also being- given the use of the rooms of the 

 Assistant Secretary for its business sessions. 



A lecture entitled "Botanical tramps with a camera." illustrated hj 

 stereopticon views, was delivered on June 13, by Dr. C. E. Waters, of 

 Johns Hopkins University, under the auspices of the Wild Flower 

 Preservation Society of America. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Museum, ever since its establishment, has been looked upon by 

 the general public as the most convenient agency for obtaining- infor- 

 mation on all subjects within its scope, and scientific men and scientific 

 institutions throughout the country turn to it for aid and advice. All 

 requests of this character, made in evident good faith, have prompt 

 attention, but the work involved, steadily increasing year by year, 

 has become especially heavy and exacting, and consumes much of the 

 time of both the scientific and the clerical stall's. The requests average 

 several daily, are rarely confined to a single subject, and often relate 

 to collections of greater or less size which are sent for identification. 

 They also have reference, in many instances, to the building up and 

 maintenance of collections, the construction of cases, the installation, 

 labeling, and cataloguing of specimens, and other topics connected 

 with museum administration. The replies made to such inquiries 

 during the past year fill about 6,000 pages in the letter-press books, 

 this being entirely apart from the ordinary official correspondence of 

 the Museum, which alone is very extensive. 



The correspondence office also has charge of the distribution of 

 publications, the number of which sent out during the year amounted 

 to about 18,000 volumes and 39,000 separate papers. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



A greater number of publications than usual was issued during the 

 year, owing partly to delays in completing volumes belonging to the 

 previous year. They comprised the annual reports of the Museum 

 for 1901 and 1902; volumes 25, 26, and 27 of the Proceedings; and 

 Part II of Special Bulletin No. 4. entitled ••American Hydroids," 

 being a monograph of the family Sertularidse by Prof. Charles ( '. 

 Nutting, of the University of Iowa. The last named is a quarto vol- 

 ume of 325 pages and 41 plates, the result of a painstaking and impor- 

 tant investigation of collections belonging to this Museum. 



The annual report for L901 was received from the Printing Office 

 on October tl, 1903; that for 1902 on March 12, 1904. The former 



NAT MUS 1904 4 



