Miscellaneous Intelligence. 321 



and, later, to various publications, among them a "Catalogue of 

 North American Birds," published by the Smithsonian in 1858- 

 1859; a "Review of American Birds in the Museum of the 

 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections," begun in June, 1864; a 

 Memoir on the " Distribution and Migrations of Birds," presented 

 to the National Academy in 1865, and printed in abstract (cover- 

 ing 31 pages) in volume xli (second series, 1866) of this Journal ; 

 and in conjunction with Mr. John Cassin, "The Birds of North 

 America," issued in 1870; and, along with T. M. Brewer and R. 

 Ridgeway, an illustrated work on the Birds of North America, 

 in 1874. In the department of fresh-water fishes of North 

 America a work was projected by Professor Agassiz and him- 

 self soon after the arrival of the former in the country, but 

 nothing of it was ever published. 



Dr. Baird also published papers on Reptiles, and in 1853 " an 

 Annotated catalogue of North American Reptiles" was issued by 

 Mr. C. Girard and himself, which contained descriptions of 

 several new species of serpents. His publications on Mammals 

 also were numerous, and included, in 1859, a volume of 764 pages 

 quarto on "the Mammals of North America," several of whose 

 two hundred and twenty species were before undescribed. An 

 early laborious work, finished in 1851, was his "translation" of 

 the text of the " Iconographic Encyclopedia," making four large 

 volumes — which work as regards the second volume was " en- 

 tirely re-written," the Botany, Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles and 

 Anthropology by himself, the Invertebrates by S. S. Haldeman, 

 the Ornithology by John Cassin and the Mammals by C. Girard. 



While carrying on his investigations and writing books and 

 papers, he found time also for the multitudinous details connected 

 with the Smithsonian Institution, its extended system of ex- 

 changes, the fitting out of exploring expeditions, the writing of 

 his part of an annual Smithsonian report, and so on. To these 

 duties were added in 1871, by appointment of the President of 

 the United States, but without additional remuneration, those of 

 Commissioner of Fisheries ; and the practical working and suc- 

 cess of this new department under the government attests to his 

 wide knowledge and his executive ability. As another has said, 

 " the services he rendered in this capacity in increasing the food- 

 supply of the world would alone justify a national monument to 

 his memory." 



In 1878, on the decease of Professor Henry, Mr. Baird was 

 appointed his successor as Secretary of the Institution, a place for 

 which he was eminently fitted by his long and active experience 

 in its affairs. 



Professor Baird's large contributions to science brought him 

 medals and honorary membership from various scientific acade- 

 mies abroad ; and the connection of his name with thirty-three 

 new genera and species of animals attests to the high apprecia- 

 tion of him by fellow-workers in zoology. 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Third Series, Vol. XXXIY, No. 202.— Oct., 1887. 

 21 



