22 KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



information relating to meteorology, but they were always ready to sup- 

 ply information and assistance in other directions. To that body of men 

 the National Museum owes a very large part of the extensive and com- 

 plete series of illustrations of North American natural history that gives 

 to it so great a prominence, this being the result of successive applica- 

 tions for aid from particular classes. Thus, whenever the attention of 

 the Institution was directed to the fact that some particular branch of 

 natural history required its fostering care, circulars were prepared and 

 issued to the meteorological correspondents, invoking co-operation, and 

 asking them to collect objects of the kind that might be found in their 

 neighborhood, so that, not only all North American species might be 

 gathered, but accurate determinations made of their geographical dis- 

 tribution. Very extensive responses usually followed these appeals, 

 and in many cases sufficient material was secured to place the subject 

 on a permanent and satisfactory basis. The works of the Institution on 

 many orders of insects and on fresh-water and land shells, reptiles, 

 birds, mammals, &c, were all based more or less entirely on collections 

 and information obtained by the Smithsonian observers. 



As a result, therefore, of over twenty-five years' observations by such 

 men, the mass of meteorological information obtained became very great, 

 and even though a certain per cent, of the observations could not lay 

 claim to that minute accuracy which is generally required, yet it was 

 found that, for many purposes, such as the general indications of varia- 

 tions in temperature, barometrical pressure, rain-fall, &c, in the colla- 

 tion of all observations the errors disappeared, and an average was se- 

 cured which did not differ essentially from what would have been derived 

 from more accurate observations. 



The results of these observations have been published by the Institu- 

 tion in several forms. During the time when the work was carried on 

 partly by the assistance of the Department of Agriculture, the reports 

 of that establishment contained the general results. In 1855, two quarto 

 volumes were published at the expense of the government. Subsequently, 

 however, a system of special digests was undertaken under the super- 

 vision of Professor Coffin, for the winds ; and of the temperature, rain- 

 fall, &c, under Mr. Charles A. Schott, of the United States Coast Sur- 

 vey, a full account of which will be found in the former reports of the 

 Institution. 



A second edition of the work on the Winds of the Globe, commenced 

 by Professor Coffin, and unfinished at his deatb, a few years ago, was 

 completed under the auspices of his son, and published by the Insti- 

 tution. This is one of the most important treatises on meteorological 

 science that has ever appeared from any press. 



Shortly after being honored with the appointment as Secretary, I in- 

 vited a committee, consisting of Mr. Charles A. Schott, Prof. Cleveland 

 Abbe, and Mr. William Ferrel, to consider the subject of the unfinished 

 meteorological work of the Institution, and to suggest a plan by which 



