50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



New Mexico, and Arizona ; of Dr. Irwin, in Arizona ; of Dr. Hitz, 

 about Laramie Peak ; of Lieutenant Couch, in Texas and Mexico ; of 

 •O. Wurdernann, Lieutenant Wright, Captain Woodbury, and others, 

 in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico • of Dr. Sartorius, Professor Sumi- 

 -chrast, Dr. Berendt, in Mexico ; Dr. Yon Frantz, J. Carniol, in 

 Costa Pica; of Mr. March, in Jamaica; of Mr. Wright, Dr. G-und- 

 lach, Professor Poey, in Cuba ; Judge Carter, in Bolivia, besides 

 many others. 



In addition to the collections which have been received from ex- 

 plorations organized under the direction of the Institution, large 

 numbers of duplicate specimens have been presented by the meteor- 

 ological observers and other Smithsonian collaborators, the whole 

 forming a body of material for the illustration and study of the pro- 

 ducts of the American continent unequalled by any collection pre- 

 viously made. The explorations, however, as might be inferred, 

 have not been confined to the collecting of specimens, but have also 

 furnished information relative to the topography, geology, physical 

 geography, ethnology, and the living fauna of the regions visited. 



The results have been published by government, the Institution, 

 or other parties. The extent and importance of these publications 

 may be seen in the volumes of the reports of the Pacific railroad. and 

 Mexican boundary surveys ; of the United States astronomical expe- 

 dition to Chili, under the late lamented Captain Gilliss ; of Captain 

 .Stansbury's exploration of Utah; of Lieutenant Michler's of the 

 Isthmus of Darien, &'c, &c. ; in the volumes of the Smithsonian pub- 

 lications, and in the transactions of nearly all the scientific institu- 

 tions in the United States. 



In order to facilitate the operations of collectors, a series of gene- 

 ral directions have been prepared and Avidely distributed, free of 

 charge, for collecting, preserving, and transporting specimens of 

 natural history, and also special instructions for collecting nests, eggs, 

 •shells, insects, &c. 



Description and distribution of collections and specimens. — The object 

 of making these collections, in conformity with the policy of the In- 

 stitution, was not merely to supply a large museum in Washington 

 with permanent specimens or duplicates lor exchange, but to furnish 

 the naturalists of the world with the materials for advancing the 

 science of the natural history of North America, and of facilitating 

 the study of its various branches by supplying museums both in the 

 United States and in Europe with sets of type specimens. 



