2 
WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
"W\A.:RJD’S 
dlatuntl Jjrierut l|ulletni. 
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY 
AT 
WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE ESTABLISHMENT. 
♦ — 
ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: 
BAKER, A. B.,— Invertebrate Zo(5log-y, OSlogy. 
HORN A DAY, WM. T.,— ZoSlog-y, Taxidermy and Col- 
lecting. 
HOWELL, EDWIN E., A. M. — Geology, Minei'alogy 
and Palaeontology. 
LUCAS, FREDERIC A., — Vert. Zoology, Osteology. 
PRESTON, H. L.,— -Mineralogy and Conchology. 
STAEBNER, F. W„ — Mineralogy and Petrography. 
WEBSTER, FREDERIC S., -Ornithology. 
TO OUR READERS. 
While many of our friends have prompt- 
ly responded to our call for subscriptions 
to the Bulletin, yet the list is not nearly 
as large as it should be, numbering, in 
fact, less than one thousand. Every one 
of the seven thousand persons to whom 
the first two numbers were sent, would, 
we think, find in the paper something 
interesting or giving valuable informa- 
tion. 
It is our intention to illustrate largely 
in future issues and to add many features 
of especial and practical interest as soon 
as Professor Ward is at hand to approve 
them. The amount of material we have 
to dVaw on will enable us to do this, pro- 
vided at the same time that the size of 
the subscription list will in some measure 
warrant it. We shall wish to tell our 
readers of the many strange and unusual 
forms received from time to time, and to 
note any points of interest in the general 
work of the Establishment. From the 
long experience of our contributors in 
their several departments we will be able 
to furnish information useful alike to the 
collector, preparator, curator, or natural- 
ist, and we think that no subscriber will 
fail to receive a satisfactory return for 
his investment. 
We therefore again ask our readers to 
show their appreciation of our efforts to 
make the paper valuable and interesting 
by giving us substantial encouragement 
to improve still further. 
This number is the last that will be 
sent free. Those who desire to have their 
Bulletin continued will 'please give us 
promjjt notification of their ivishes, accom- 
panied by the necessary amount — 50 cents. 
If currency is not available, send postage 
stamps or Money Order. 
GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. 
It is safe to assert that no national government 
has ever done more to promote the scientific 
investigation of its territory and the promulga- 
tion of the knowledge thus obtained than is be- 
ing done in this direction by that of the United 
States. The magnitude of the work already 
accomplished, and the comprehensiveness of its 
scope, is as yet little known save to those who 
are especially interested. 
Until very recently the natural history of each 
individual State of the Union was left to be 
worked up by the State itself, according to its 
own plans and at its own expense; but upon the 
general government devolves the exploration of 
the Territories, and the publication of the 
results. 
Inasmuch as the latter cover such a vast area 
and embrace such a variety of soils, climates, 
geological formations and animal life, the results 
obtained by their complete scientific survey 
afford us a means of information covering nearly 
the whole of the United States’ domains west of 
the Mississippi River. Three years ago, how- 
ever, the different territorial surveys, some of 
which had completed their work, were abolished 
by act of Congress, and in their stead was created 
the United States Geological Survey which covers 
the whole of the Republic, and therefore involves 
work in the states as well as territories. 
It is almost unnecessarv to mention the vitallv 
important work of the U. S. Coast Survey, and 
the survey of the Lakes which has been in pro- 
gress for years. With the labors of the Com- 
mission of Fish and Fisheries and its important 
scientific and economic results, the public, is also 
familiar. The Commissioner, Prof. Spencer F. 
Baird, publishes an annual report, with an ap- 
pendix, which includes articles detailing the ob- 
servations of a score of ichthyologists. 
The United States National Museum issues, 
also under the direction of Prof. Baird, a series 
of Bulletins and Proceedings which embrace 
scientific papers bv a host of specialists in every 
department of natural history. These are pub- 
lished in pamphlet- form, illustrated when neces- 
sary, and form' altogether, with the Bulletins of 
Geological survey, issued in the same form, quite 
a repository of scientific information. 
The most voluminous and exhaustive publica- 
tions are the regular reports of the Territorial 
surveys which have thus far been issued in four 
sets, as follows; 
First . — The regular publications of the Geolog- 
ical survev of the Territories. The twelfth vol- 
ume of this series was Leidv’s Rhizopnds of North 
America, a quarto volume, containing, besides 
descriptions, forty-eight colored plates represent- 
ing hundreds of species. This volume was pre- 
ceded bv Cones’ and Allen’s elaborate Monograph 
of N. A Rodentia. 
Second . — The Miscellaneous Publications of 
the U. S. G. S. , of which the twelfth volume 
(octavo), Allen’s Monograph of North American 
Pinnipeds , appeared early last vear. bavin? been 
preceded bv Coties’ Birds of the Colorado Valley. 
Both the above series are issued by the Depart- 
ment of the Interior. 
Third . — The report of the U. S. Geological 
Survey West of the One Hundredth Meridian, in 
seven volumes (the last of which has just been 
issued), under the following titles: 1, Geo- 
graphical Report; 2, Astronomy and Barometric 
Hypsometry; 8, Geology and Mineralogy; 4, 
Palaeontology; 5, Zoblogy; 6, Botany; and 7, 
Archseol ogy. 
Fourth . — The Reports of the U. S. Geological 
Explorations of the Fortieth Parallel. The 
seventh volume of this series, which was issued 
last year, is Marsh’s superb Monograph of the 
Odontorniihes. The above and the preceding 
series of reports were issued by the War Depart- 
ment under the direction of Brig. Gen’l A. A. 
Humphrey. 
The Interior Department has issued duringthe 
last year the complete report of the U. S. Ento- 
mological Commission relating particularly to 
the Rockv Mountain Locust, the Cotton Worm, 
and the Hessian Fly. The same department, also 
issues the publications of the Bureau of Ethnol- 
ogy, of which Morgan’s Houses and House Life of 
the N. A. Aborigines, lately published, was the 
fourth volume. 
The Census Department has just issued Elli- 
ott’s Seal Islands of Alaska , and various other 
reports, chiefly statistical. To the above must 
he added at least a reference to the reports of the 
Engineer Corns, the Black Hills Expedition, the 
Agricultural Department and the Bureau of Ed- 
ucation. 
It is impossible to include in this brief notice 
the names of all those in the legion of scientific 
investigators whose writings make up the volumi- 
nous and valuable Encyclopedia of North Amer- 
ican Natural History now in course of publica- 
tion by our government. If we mention none 
but the leading authors under each department 
of science we still have a long list of names, in 
which we And those of nearly all the best known 
original investigators in America. 
Under the head of ZoSlogy we must mention 
such names as Baird. Goode. Coues, Allen, 
Ridgeway, Yarrow, Verrill, Henshaw, Riley, 
Thomas and Packard. 
The leading writers on Palaeontology are 
Leidv, Marsh, Cope, White, Hall, Whitfield, 
Lesquereaux, Meek and Owen. 
The reports and papers on Geology have been 
written by Hayden, Powell, Wheeler, Gilbert, 
Marvine, Howell, Holmes, Stevenson, Peal, 
Newberry, Lpow, and a few others. 
The reports made under the bead of Botany 
are due to Gray, Hooker and Rothrock, with a 
corns of nine other investigators. 
The subject of American Archaeology and 
E hnology has received the, attention of Morgan 
and Putnam, with the a°sistance of Abbott, 
Haldeman, Mallory, Carr, Yarrow, Pilling and 
Henshaw. 
The above named authors constitute' only a 
portion of those whose investigations have been 
published by the government in the various re- 
ports and bulletins referred to. All the more 
important articles and monographs have been 
fully, sometimes elaborately, illustrated with 
maps, plates and diagrams, both plain and col- 
ored. In many works the illustrations are. truly 
elegant-, ftnd nearly all may be fully relied upon 
for scientific accuracy. It only remains to be 
added that all the publications herein referred to 
have been distributed with the greatest, liberality 
amongst the scientists and deserving students of 
the country, according to their respective fields 
of scientific work. 
Except under national authority and support, 
it is doubtful if more than one-tenth of all this 
mass of scientific information could have been 
placed before the public, even in a highly con- 
densed form; and again we say that the generos- 
ity of this government in the promotion of scbm- 
lific research and the publication of the. results, 
is probably without a parallel in the history of 
nations. 
We owe our readers an apology for the late 
appearance of this number of the Bulletin, and 
would say that Prof. Ward and Mr. Howell are 
both absent and have been able to give very little 
help in its preparation; also that a vast amount 
of new material, in all departments, has been 
coming in, and while we greatly enjoy classifying 
and arranging this, yet at the same time it causes 
much extra work and takes time. It has thus 
happened that we have been compelled to prepare 
a considerable part of the Bulletin matter after 
business hours, and even then have been unable 
to avoid an unusual delay in its issue. 
WANTED TO PURCHASE CATALOGUES. 
We are almost entirely out of two of our cata- 
logues, Casts of Fosstls and College Series 
of Casts, and are ready to buy a few copies of 
each at $1.25 for the first, and 75 cents for the 
second. Please mail to us at once. 
