f 
lvi Proceedings. 
# 
Transactions have not always in the past been deposited in 
that library as provided for by law. To make good so far as 
possible this oversight, copies as follows have been sent to the 
library of the university and Mr. Smith has expressed himself 
as satisfied with the arrangement: volumes II, twenty copies; 
III, thirty copies; V, forty copies; and VI, seventy-five copies. 
Recently elected members of the Acadamy have been fur¬ 
nished sets of the Transactions as nearly complete as the sup¬ 
ply would warrant. As provided in the statutes, express 
charges on volumes sent out are paid by the state. Packages 
for foreign distribution are delivered through the agencies of 
the Smithsonian Institution. 
CATALOG OF THE LIBRARY. 
In 1878 a catalog of the books in the Academy library was 
made by the then librarian, Mr. W. A. Germain, and printed 
in the Proceedings (Transactions, Volume IV., pp. 281--289). 
An indication of the growth of the library since that time is 
the fact that there were but eighty exchanges, and the catalog 
w T as easily brought within eight pages of text. Again in 1881 a 
catalog was made by Mr. Julius Nelson, acting for Dr. E. A. 
Birge. This catalog was printed in the Proceedings (Transac¬ 
tions, Volume V, pp. B35--358.) It covers twenty- 
two pages of text and was probably complete for that time. 
I do not know, that any later attempts have been made to sup¬ 
plement this catalog. Since 1881 the library has increased 
much in size as is shown by the dimensions of the new catalog 
which is printed in the appendix of this volume. The catalog 
of 1881 has been of comparatively little service because it tells 
only whcit is to be found in the library, and not where it is to 
be found. It has in consequence been necessary to search the 
entire collection to find any volume that might be desired.. 
With the growth of the library this difficulty has increased, and 
accessions have generally become separated from the series to 
which they belong. When the present- librarian took charge 
of the library, the books were in this condition and it was found 
necessary to begin the work anew and to take everything from 
