REPORT OB ASSISTANT l>ini.< rOR, 7 



Reports of tin 1 Smithsonian Institution ; 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous < 'olfactions ; 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge; 



Reports of the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution; 



Reports of the United stales Commissioner of Fisheries ; 



Bulletin of the United States Pish Commission; 

 also occasionally in other scientific reports of other scientific depart 

 mollis of the Government, especially those of the l uited States Geo 

 logical Survey, many of whose officers are also honorary officials of the 

 Museum. 



A catalogue of the scientific papers emanating each year from the 

 Museum or based upon Museum Interests has been published each year 

 since L881 in the Smithsonian Report. 



3. THE FUNCTION AND AIMS OF THE MUSEUM. 



Objects and methods of work. — The collections in the National Museum 

 are intended to exhibit the natural and industrial resources, primarily 

 of the United States, and secondarily of those of t lie remainder of the 

 world, for purposes of comparison. 



The activity of the Museum is exerted in three directions: 



(a) The permanent preservation of objects already in its possession. 



(b) The acquisition of new material. 



(c) The utilization of material already in its possession, by its exhibi- 

 tion in the most instructive manner, and by the prosecution of and pub- 

 lication of scientific researches for which it forms the basis; by the dis- 

 tribution of properly-labeled duplicates of materials to colleges and 

 other educational institutions. 



The preservation of material is accomplished by means of the vigilance 

 of the curators and the skill of the preparators. 



New material is acquired (a), from the various Government surveys 

 and expeditions, in accordance with law; (b) by gift from individuals, 

 from other institutions, and from foreign governments ; (c) by exchange 

 for its duplicate specimens or publications; (d) by the efforts of officers 

 of the Museum, who make collections in connection with their regular 

 dnt ies, or arc detailed for special service of this nature ; (e) by purchase 

 when appropriations are made by Congress for that purpose. 



The treasures in the custody of the Museum are utilized to the world 

 by exhibiting them to the public, and by encouraging investigations on 

 the part of the officers of the Museum and other suitable persons, and 

 facilitating the publication of the results; also by the distribution to 

 other museums and educational institutions of duplicate specimens, 

 which have formed the basis of scientific investigation, these being 

 identified and labeled by the best authorities. 



The Museum by these means fulfills a threefold function: 



I. It is a museum of record, in which are preserved the material foun- 

 dations of a very great uumber of scientific memoirs — the types of 



