9 



by Amos Binney. The first six numbers of Vol. V. of the Bul- 

 letin, containing articles by Messrs. Agassiz, Faxon, Prime, and 

 Benton, have been distributed. 



To Mr. Temple Prime we owe the plates which accompany 

 his paper on Corbiculidse ; and to the Hon. Carlile P. Patterson, 

 Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, the small 

 map of the Hydrography of the Gulf of Mexico, which accom- 

 panies Bulletin No. 6. 



In connection with Professor J. D. Whitney and the Geo- 

 logical Survey of California, the Museum has published No. 2 

 of Vol. VI. of the Memoirs on the Fossil Plants of the Auriferous 

 Gravel Deposits of the Sierra Nevada, by Leo Lesquereux, 

 pp. 58, 10 plates. 



The Hydroids of the Gulf Stream, collected by Mr. Pourtales 

 under the auspices of the United States Coast Survey, have 

 been fully worked up by Professor George J. Allman, of London, 

 and published, with the permission of the Superintendent of 

 the United States Coast Survey, by the Museum as Vol. V. No. 

 2 of its Memoirs, pp. 54, plates 34. Finally, I have myself 

 issued, as one of the Museum Memoirs, the materials left by 

 Professor Agassiz to form the fifth volume of the Contributions 

 to the Natural History of the United States, pp. 136, 20 

 plates, as Vol. V. No. 1. 



In addition to these publications, I could refer to papers of 

 Baron Osten-Sacken, Mr. R. McLachlan, of Mr. Fauvel, of 

 Baron Sdlys Longchamp, who have availed themselves of Mu- 

 seum material placed at their disposal, besides those published 

 by the Museum Assistants in other serials than those of the 

 Museum. Dr. Steindachner has continued in the Proceedings 

 of the Vienna Academy the descriptions of many new species of 

 fishes collected by the Thayer Expedition. 



Very gratifying returns are received at the Library in ex- 

 change for our publications, the societies with which we now 

 exchange regularly having increased in number during the 

 past year. It is, however, questionable how far the system of 

 exchanges now generally carried on by scientific societies is 

 remunerative. ^ 



As in former years, large collections have been sent to special- 

 ists for examination or for the preparation of special reports 

 in expeditions undertaken with the supervision of the Museum. 



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