12 EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



North America. The United States Fish Commission, under the au- 

 spices of the Smithsonian Institution, exhibited at the Philadelphia 

 Centennial of 1876 an extremely interesting series of plaster and papier 

 mache easts of fishes, cetaceans, and some reptiles, all carefully colored 

 from nature, and representing a much larger number of such objects than 

 had ever been brought together under one roof. Since that time the 

 artists connected with the National Museum have been diligently en- 

 gaged in extending and improving the series, and for nearly two years 

 past their efforts have been conducted especially in the line of the rep- 

 tiles. The circular in question was intended to indicate precisely the 

 forms or species desired, and it has been extensively distributed. As 

 the result, the Institution was the recipient, in 1878, of very large num- 

 bers of living turtles, serpents, lizards, salamanders, &c, the greater por- 

 tion of which has been carefully molded and reproduced in artistic si yle. 

 It is believed that no museum extant can show such a series of serpents, 

 in their natural attitudes, as is now on exhibition in the National 

 Museum. 



Another publication of 1878 is a new " List of Foreign Correspond- 

 ents." The rapid increase in the number of scientific establishments in 

 relationship with the Institution requires a new edition of this list every 

 few years ; and although the present one is much more extensive than 

 that published in 1872 (containing 2333 numbers of titles as compared 

 with 1910), even now arrangements are being made by the Institution for a 

 still more complete and exhaustive edition. With this view a circular 

 has been sent to all the names upon the present list, asking for rectifi- 

 cations or typographic corrections, and the addition of any addresses 

 of public libraries, learned societies, or. scientific bureaus of govern- 

 ments not already included. The Institution also requested secretaries 

 of societies to furnish a list of the names and addresses of persons act- 

 ively engaged in scientific or literary investigations in their respective 

 towns, together with the particular branches of learning to which each 

 was devoted, with the view of facilitating communication and exchanges 

 with specialists in all parts of the world. The responses to these re- 

 quests are coming in rapidly ; and when all are received, a suitable ar- 

 rangement and publication of the material will be made. 



Twenty years ago (in 1858), the Institution published a list of the 

 Diptera (flies, musquitoes, &c.) of North America, by Baron 11. Osten- 

 Sacken, at that time attached to the Eussiau Legation at Washington. 

 The author, although especially a student of the order of diptera, was 

 interested in other groups, and coming to the United States at a time 

 when our entomologists were few and widely scattered, he devoted a 

 considerable part of his leisure to travel over the country, making the 

 personal acquaintance of most of those interested in this branch of natu- 

 ral history. In that connection he rendered a valuable aid to the ex- 

 tension of American entomologic science, which is entitled to public 

 recognition. Through his efforts numerous entomologists, situated far 



