REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 11 



cations even in modern Greek, Japanese, and Arabic. There are 825 

 annuals, 397 quarterlies, 670 monthlies, and the remainder are issued 

 at different intervals or irregularly. A portion are for the present 

 retained for reference, but are ultimately designed for the Smithsonian 

 deposit at the Library of Congress. It is my desire that the Institution 

 shall keep abreast of the ever-growing number of scientific periodicals 

 and journals and of the publications of societies cultivating the various 

 branches of science. The work is never ending, and the preparation of 

 new lists and correspondence for exchange and revision are constantly 

 going on. 



The time is now not far distant when an adequate provision will be 

 made for the major portion of the Smithsonian library, which is, in 

 accordance with the act of 1865, deposited with the Library of Con- 

 gress. The Librarian cf Congress states that the Smithsonian library 

 will be arranged in a separate stack of the new building, now completed 

 and rapidly approaching the time when it will be habitable, and that a 

 special reading room, convenient to the main reading room and the 

 stack, will be provided. It may be suitable to mention, in connection 

 with the library, the fact that the Institution is now, as it has been 

 from its inception, heartily interested in the publication of bibliograph- 

 ical memoirs and in the geueral subject of the bibliography of science. 



During the past year I have been informed of a project of the Eoyal 

 Society for the preparation of a bibliography of science, beginning 

 with the year 1900, and some correspondence on this important subject 

 has taken place between the Eoyal Society and the Institution. At 

 the present writing no definite result has been reached. 



HODGKINS FUND. 



It is gratifying to the Institution to note the wide interest taken in 

 the Hodgkins fund prizes which were offered for certain essays upon 

 the properties of atmospheric air, in accordance with the wishes of the 

 donor of the fund, Mr. Thomas C Hodgkins. v 



The recent discoveries made upon the composition of atmospheric air 

 have been most important, and researches now in x>rogress seem to 

 promise still further additions to the knowledge of our atmosphere. 



It will be remembered that three prizes were offered — one for $10,000, 

 one for $2,000, and one for $1,000 ; the terms of competition being stated 

 in a circular issued by the Institution in 1893 and printed in full in my 

 report for that year. 



For reasons stated in a circular issued in June, 1894, the time for 

 submitting memoirs in competition for the Hodgkins fund prizes was 

 extended from July 1 to December 31, 1894, and resulted in a consid- 

 erable increase in the number of papers, so that the total number up to 

 December 31, 1891, was 218. 



It is interesting to note the various countries that participated in 

 this competition: the United States contributing 66 memoirs, France 



