THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 37 



portant additions have, however, been received from the various gov- 

 ernment expeditions mentioned hereafter. Many officers of the army, 

 as heretofore, have forwarded more or less complete collections, made 

 in the neighborhood of the posts at which they have been stationed. 



The government expeditions by which collections have been made 

 are as follows : 



United States Mexican Boundary Commission, under the scientific direc- 

 tion of Major Emory, United States army ; General Robert B. Gamp- 

 bell, commissioner. The region illustrated by the collections received 

 consisted of the Rio Grande, from Eagle Pass to its mouth. Under the 

 present organization of the commission, with Major Emory acting as 

 commissioner in addition to his former duties, there is reason to hope 

 for new results of the most important character. 



Survey of route for railroad to the Pacific — 



A. Northern route, under Governor I. I. Stevens. Region traversed 



extending from Fort Benton, on the Missouri, to the Pacific ocean. 



B. Parallel of 38°, under Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith. From the 



Arkansas, by way of Fort Massachusetts and Salt Lake, to San 

 Francisco. 



C. Parallel of 35°, under Lieutenant Whipple. From Fort Smith, on 



the Arkansas, via Albuquerque,|Zuni, San Francisco mountains, 

 and the Mohave, to San Francisco. 



D. Partial route, under Lieutenant R. S. Williamson. Extending from 



San Francisco to the Mohave, and Tejon Pass to camp Yuma. 



E. Parallel of 32°, under Lieutenant J. G. Parke. Extending from 



camp Yuma via Tueson to El Paso. 



F. Parallel of 32°, under Captain J. Pope. From El Paso, across the 



head of the Brazos and Colorado, to Preston in Texas. 



Exploration of the coast of California, by Lieutenant W. P. Trowbridge, 

 United States army. 



Exploration of the La Plata and its tributaries, by Lieutenant Page, 

 United States navy. 



A more particular account of these several expeditions will be found 

 in the article on scientific explorations. 



From these different expeditions a large number of collections have 

 been received, embracing material of the first importance and interest. 

 Full reports are in preparation, and will be presented to Congress for 

 publication with the other results of the explorations, and with such 

 amount of illustrations as circumstances may require or authorize. 



Among the more private explorations, from which results of the great- 

 est importance have been received, are those of Dr. P. R. Hoy, in Mis- 

 souri ; Reverend A. C.Barry, in Wisconsin; Gustavus Wurdemann, 

 in Louisiana ; Lieutenant H. G. Wright, at Garden Key, Florida ; 

 Robert Kennicott, northern Illinois ; Dr. L. A. Edwards, Fort Towson, 

 &c; together with my own, on the Jersey coast. Further accounts of 

 these will be licteaftrr given. 



In view of the vast multitude of objects received during the year, it 

 is manifestly impossible to give full details respecting them ; and I can 

 here only refer to this subject in the most general manner, taking up the 

 collections in the following; order: 



Mammals. — A specimen of the so-called Sampson tbx, a peculiar va- 



