20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



ciencies in our series, and thus enabling the Societies, as far as possi- 

 ble, to supply them. This work forms a large octavo volume of 596 

 pages. It has been stereotyped, and copies have been distributed to 

 ;^,he principal libraries in this country and Europe, with a view mainly 

 10 obtain from them such duplicates as they may possess which may 

 serve to render more complete the Smithson collection of transac- 

 tions. The catalogue of the Avorks thus obtained will be printed in 

 an appendix, accompanied by proper indexes, wben the whole will be 

 issued and more generally 'distributed as one of the series of volumes 

 of Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. From the stereotype plates 

 an edition of this work has been struck off at the government print- 

 ing office for the use of the library of Congress. This catalogue is 

 considered the most complete work on the bibliography of publica- 

 tions of learned societies which has yet appeared in the English lan- 

 guage. 



Another article belonging to the octavo series is a catalogue of the 

 eocene fossils belonging to the series of check-lists of invertebrate 

 fossils of North America, prepared at the request of the Institution by 

 Mr. T. A. Conrad, of Philadelphia. It contains an enumeration of all 

 the species described from the eocene formation up to the date of 

 publication, and is intended to facilitate the labelling of collections 

 and the distribution of duplicate specimens. 



The publication of two other parts of this series, prepared by Mr. 

 r. B. Meek, narael}^ on the miocene, and on the cretaceous and Ju- 

 rassic species, were mentioned in a previous report. 



The different series of check-lists published by the Institution have 

 fully answered the purpose intended, in supplying a want long felt by 

 students of natural history; and successive editions from the stereo- 

 type plates are required, the cost of which has formed a large item of 

 the expenditure for printing during the past year. 



Besides the foregoing articles 92 pages of an addition to the descrip- 

 tion of new species, and 30 pages of an addition to the list of coleop- 

 tera of North America, by Dr. John LeConte, have been printed 

 during the year. These additions bring the works mentioned to the 

 same point in regard to completeness as the first part of the cli\ssifi- 

 cation of coleoptera by the same author, published by the Institution 

 several years ago. 



Another article, which will form a part of the miscellaneous collec- 

 tions, and printed during the year, is a list of all the works published 

 by the Institution up to the beginning of the year 1866, enuinerating 

 203 distinct titles, arranged under the following heads: 



