58 



EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



copy books of letters written hardly exceeded one thousand, and of these 

 letters fully one-half related to work connected with the fishery inves- 

 tigations of the Tenth Census. 



For the purpose of explaining the nature of the correspondence of 

 the Museum at the present time and of showing the large increase in 

 this branch of the administrative work, it is convenient to arrange the 

 Museum correspondence under the following headings: (1) General 

 Museum business, including matters connected with Museum adminis- 

 tration, arrangement of foreign exchanges, etc.; (2) replies to requests 

 for technical information; (3) the acknowledgment of gifts, loans, and 

 exchanges; (4) reports upon specimens sent for identification. 



Under the first heading 1,959 letters have been written. 



Letters containing requests for information are constantly being re- 

 ceived, and it is a part of the duty of this office to see that such requests 

 are referred to the proper specialists, and to incorporate their replies in 

 letters conveying the desired information. During the year 2,626 let- 

 ters of this kind have been received, and their source is indicated in the 

 following geographical summation : 



Alabama. .. 34 



Arizona 23 



Arkansas 28 



California 55 



Colorado 15 



Connecticut 46 



Dakota 18 



Delaware 9 



District of Columbia. 494 



Florida 28 



Georgia 17 



Idaho 7 



Illinois 54 



Indiana 41 



Indian Territory 4 



Iowa - 41 



Kansas 32 



Africa 1 



Argentine Eep ublic 1 



Austria 1 



Bering Island 2 



Brazil 12 



Canada 29 



Cbina 2 



Denmark 5 



Dutch Guiana 1 



Egypt 2 



England 44 



France 43 



Germany 13 



UNITED STATES. 



Kentucky 39 



Louisiana 8 



Maine 21 



Maryland 53 



Massachusetts 143 



Michigan 43 



Minnesota 13 



Mississippi 8 



Missouri 30 



Montana 20 



Nebraska 14 



Nevada 5 



New Hampshire 11 



New Jersey 56 



New Mexico 21 



New York 317 



North Carolina 39 



FOREIGN COTJNTRIKS. 



Hawaiian Islands 2 



Honduras 1 



Hungary 2 



India 2 



Ireland 5 



Italy 4 



Japan 14 



Korea 2 



Mexico 22 



Newfoundland 1 



New Zealand 7 



Norway 3 



Nova Scotia 2 



Ohio 102 



Oregon 19 



Pennsylvania 165 



Ehode Island 



South Carolina 



Tennessee 



Texas 



Utah 



Vermont 



Virginia 



Washington T e r r i- 



tory 



West Virginia 



Wisconsin 



Wyoming 



16 



18 

 50 

 51 



84 



12 



19 

 21 



7 



Total 2,364 



Eussia 



Sandwich Islands 1 



Scotland 10 



Sweden 2 



Switzerland 2 



Tasmania 2 



United States of Co- 

 lombia 6 



Uruguay 3 



West Indies 12 



Total 262 



