EEPORT OF THE SECEETAEY. 2! 



branches of the collection with a view to prepare reports on them. 

 The birds of the collection are in charge of George N. Lawrence ; the 

 insects, of Mr. Scudder ; the shells, of Mr. Bland : and the reptiles and 

 fish, of Mr. Cope. The series is very complete, and is believed to express 

 essentially the zoological character of an interesting portion of Mexico. 

 As specially notewortlry in this connection, is the donation by the 

 Imperial Zoological Museum of Vienna, of the skin and skeleton of the 

 European aurochs. This animal, according to Professor Baird, is a 

 species of bison, and very closely related to the American buffalo, if, 

 indeed, it be not, as some naturalists assert, the same. It was 

 formerly found in abundance in Europe, and is mentioned by Caesar, 

 Tacitus, and other classical writers. It has been almost entirely exter- 

 minated, existing at the present time only to the number of a few head 

 in Lithuania and in the Caucasus. The European specimens are pre- 

 served with jealous care by the Bussian authorities, and severe penal- 

 ties are imposed for killing or even injuring them. 



The number of donations to the collection of the Institution received 

 during the past year is so large that we find it impossible at this time to 

 give to each that special mention which it deserves. A list of them, how- 

 ever, with the names of the donors, will be found in the appendix to the 

 present report ; and I embrace this opportunity to express the thanks 

 of the Institution to all who have thus aided in furthering its objects, 

 and to invite their kind co-operation for the future. 



The usual statistics in regard to the number of specimens catalogued 

 during the year, and the extent to which the distribution of duplicates 

 has been made, will be found in the accompanying tables. It will be 

 seen that the average of the past years has been fully maintained, and that 

 as far as the material and force at the command of the Institution would 

 permit, the work has been faithfully carried on. 



The museum. — Congress having made an appropriation for the better 

 display of the specimens belonging to the Government, it becomes a 

 matter of importance to carefully consider the character which is to be 

 given to the national museum. There is scarcely any subject connected 

 with science and education to which more attention is given at the pres- 

 ent day than that of collections of objects of nature and art, known under 

 the general denomination of museums. This arises from their growing 

 importance as aids to scientific investigation and instruction. As they 

 are intended to subserve different ends they are of different characters. 

 There are, on the one hand, large central museums supported by Gov- 

 ernment appropriations, and on the other, local museums which are 

 established and sustained by societies and voluntary individual aid. 

 The latter are established in almost all parts of the Old World, and 

 are becoming somewhat numerous in this country. The special aim 

 of the directors of these should be to make full collections of all the 

 objects of natural history in their vicinity, not only for the instruction of 



