tion. It so happened that while the surveyors were among these Indians, messengers arrived from the Go-si-Utes, of Western Utah and Eastern Nevada, bringing information of great rains and of the gradual rising of the Great Salt Lake, indicating, as they supposed, a great calamity, and calling upon the tribes we have mentioned to join them in religious ceremonies to appease the anger of the waters, lest in their rage and coming power they should destroy all the land and the people who lived thereon. The state of religious excitement which ensued enabled Professor Powell to increase his knowledge of their mythology and religion, in directions which previous to that time had been closed to him. On these subjects the Indians are usually reticent. Believing in sorcery and that a knowledge of their religion and organization can be used by their enemies to their disadvantage, they forbear to give any information on these subjects. But under the excitement above mentioned their reserve was neglected, and facts revealed which had previously been only partially understood. Previous to this no definite information had been obtained as to their religious worship, or whether they had any system of appeasing the displeasure of their gods.

A large number of articles to illustrate the various arts among these people, in addition to those made in previous years, was collected, so that the specimens in the National Museum for the study of the civilization of these tribes are more extensive, perhaps, than for any other on the American continent. Attention was also given to the ancient remains in the valley of the Colorado, and interesting additions have been made to the facts already known. A number of additional ruins were discovered, and observations made for depicting on a map scores of ancient towns or hamlets. Copies of picture-writings and stone implements of various kinds were obtained. The ethnological investigation embraces language, mythology, folk-lore, and the means of obtain ing subsistence.

A large number of photographs was taken, which served to assist the draughtsman in delineating the topographical features of the country; also another series of the Indians themselves, intended to illustrate their dress, habits, and other characteristics.

Survey under Hon. Archibald Campbell.

This survey was for the continuation of the boundary-line along the forty-ninth parallel of latitude, between the United States and the British possessions. The distance remaining to be surveyed during 1874 was three hundred and fifty-eight miles, from longitude 106° 12′ to longitude 114° 05'. It was divided into two parties, the astronomical and the topographical.

During the season of 1874 the work was executed in the same manner as before, under the agreement made between the chief astronomers of the United States and British commissions, to the effect that the officers of the United States were to determine astronomical stations at intervals of forty miles, and to survey a belt of territory five miles wide south

of the parallel, the English to determine a similar series of astronomical stations, and to survey an equal belt of topography north of the line. The astronomical party, in charge of Maj. W. J. Twining, was organized in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on the 1st of June, and reached the point of operation on the 1st of July. The shortness of the season, and the great distance, to be traveled after the work should be completed. required that it should be finished early in September. The party was.. therefore, pushed to the utmost limit of endurance, and by the 1st of September the eight astronomical stations assigned to the United States had been determined, and the line had been connected with the last previous station of the boundary at the summit of the Rocky Mountains. In four months, this expedition accomplished a journey of 3,700 miles, besides surveying and marking 358 miles of the boundary-line. The topographical party remained in the field both winter and summer from the 1st of June, 1873, until the present time, with the exception of two months in the spring of 1874. They have demonstrated that instrumental work can be done in that high latitude, even in the most rigorous part of the winter, where the country is wooded; but on the open plains the exposure is dangerous. That portion crossed by the line surveyed during 1874 was found to be an open plain, entirely destitute of timber, but easily practicable for wagon-trains, except in the vicinity of Frenchman's Creek and the crossing of Milk River, where wide detours had to be made to avoid the bad-lands. From longitude 106 to the crossing of Milk River the country is unattractive, the rainfall is small, and water consequently scarce during the summer. The soil is alkaline, and produces mostly sage-brush and cactus. From the Sweet-Grass Hills to the Rocky Mountains its character is entirely changed. The rain-fall appears to be ample. The belt along the foot of the mountains, in addition to scenery of rare beauty, presents to the eye of the practical man the more solid advantage of an unsurpassed fertility. Northwestern Montana is still the range of immense herds of buffaloes, whose numbers, according to Major Twining, contrary to the commonly-received opinion, are constantly increasing. This region is the country of the Blackfoot and Piegan tribes of Indians. It is also the debatable ground of the North Assinaboines, the Gros Ventres of the prairie, and the River Crows, while an occasional war-party of the Sioux may be found as far northwest as the Sweet-Grass Hills. With the exception of the Sioux, these tribes appear to be peaceably enough disposed.

Collections and observations in natural history were made at almost every point along the boundary-line by Dr. Elliott Coues, surgeon and naturalist of the expedition, although it is to be regretted that he was not supported by an adequate corps of assistants, particularly in the departments of geology and botany. Large collections were made and sent to the Institution, an account of which is given in the report of Professor Baird. It is to be hoped that ample time may be allowed Dr. Coues for the preparation of his final report, in order that the results of

his field-work may be fully elaborated in illustration of the flora and fauna of a portion of the United States of which comparatively little is known.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Institution, as in former years, has been in harmonious co-operation with the Department of Agriculture, the Army Medical Museum, and the Corcoran Art Gallery. With the first it has deposited plants and other articles relating to agriculture; to the Medical Museum it has transferred a large number of articles pertaining to comparative anatomy and mate. ria medica, and has received in return ethnological specimens; in the third, the Corcoran Art Gallery, it has deposited a number of paintings, articles of statuary, engravings, &c. A list of these several deposits will be found in the appendix.

It may be mentioned that the present Secretary of the Institution has been chosen one of the trustees of the Corcoran Art Gallery, and thus the connexion between these two establishments has become more intimate. The Gallery has been opened during the past year under very favorable auspices, and bids fair to be an important means of improving the intellectual and moral condition of the citizens of Washington, as well as a perpetual monument of the beneficent liberality of its founder. Since its first opening to the public on the 19th January, 1874, it has been visited by 75,000 persons. It has an endowment of $900,000, and had an income last year of upward of $62,000.

Fog-Signals. During the last summer I devoted a considerable portion of my vacation to investigations in regard to sound in its applica tion to fog-signals, the results of which have been published in an ap pendix to the Light-House Report for 1874.

These investigations, which were a continuation of those of former years, tend to establish the fact that sound is susceptible of a kind of refraction, due to the unequal velocity of the upper and lower current of the air, by which the sound-ray is in some cases bent upward, and consequently passes far above the head of the distant auditor, and in others is refracted downward to the surface of the earth, and is thus perceived at a much greater distance. This principle explains the peculiar action of the wind on sound, as well as various abnormal phenomena which have been observed from time to time in the operation of fog signals; also the discharge of cannon during battles, of which the sound was heard at remote points, though inaudible at those much nearer the explosion.

Fish inquiry and propagation.-It may be remembered that an act of Congress was passed in February, 1871, directing an inquiry to be made into the causes of the decrease of the food-fishes of the United States, to be prosecuted by a commissioner appointed by the President, from the civilian employés of the Government, and to serve without salary. Professor Baird, of this Institution, received this appointment and entered upon his duties.

In 1872 his sphere of labor was extended by instructions for the employment of such measures as might increase the food-fishes of the country; and reports from time to time have been made of the results of, the work.

The growing interest in this subject, and the belief that the objects to be accomplished were of great importance to the country; have induced; larger and larger appropriations from Congress, and the sphere of the labors of the commissioner has been extended accordingly. His work is prosecuted under two distinct heads: first, that of an inquiry into the causes of the decrease of food-fishes; secondly, that of their multiplication.

In prosecuting the inquiry referred to he has established himself at points on the sea-coast where the fisheries it was desirable to investigate are carried on, and, by inquiries on his own part and those of his assistants, he satisfied himself as to the condition of the fisheries, and the extent to which they have been diminished, and the steps to be taken for their restoration.

He has embraced the opportunity thus offered, to carry on a thorough survey of the natural history and physics of the ocean, thus doing for the coast portion of the territory of the United States what the explorations of Professor Hayden, Lieutenant Wheeler, and Major Powell are accomplishing for the Territories of the West.

His operations during the summer of 1874 were carried on at Noank, Conn., his field of investigation extending from Narragansett Bay on the east, to the mouth of the Connecticut River on the west, and to the eastern end of Long Island on the south.

As usual his presence, with the facilities at his command, attracted a large number of visitors, among them some of the most eminent naturalists of the country, who were thus enabled to carry on important researches in natural history, all of them having a more or less direct bearing upon the objects of the commission. Professor Verrill, of Yale College, has been associated with Professor Baird from the beginning of this branch of investigation, and as usual labored indefatigably dur ing the season.

The results of the labors of 1871 at Wood's Hole have already been published in a volume which constitutes a work of standard excellence. The report for 1872 is nearly ready for publication, and that for 1873 is well advanced. The second division of his duties, that of the work of propagation of food-fishes, was directed more especially to the multiplication of the shad and salmon. Owing to the late period at which the appropriation for this purpose was available, the operations in regard to the hatching of shad were not commenced until June, when camps were successively established on the Delaware, the Hudson, and the Connecticut; that on the Hudson in connection with the fish commissioners of New York, and that on the Connecticut with the commissioners of that State.

Owing to the death of Dr. Slack, who was in charge of the station on the Delaware, very little was done on that river. On the Hudson a very considerable number of shad was obtained and distributed, apart from those introduced into the river by the State commissioners themselves. The greatest amount of the work, however, was done at South Hadley Falls, on the Connecticut River. The fish here being very abundant, many young fish were hatched and distributed, mainly under the direction of Mr. James W. Milner, to various localities in many States, extending as far west as Minnesota, south to Texas, and east to Maine, the total number thus supplied amounting to over two millions. The operations in regard to salmon were still more satisfactory, being carried on at two establishments; one on the McCloud River, in California, under the charge of Mr. Livingston Stone, and the other on the Penobscot River, in Maine, under Mr. Charles G. Atkins. The former furnished six millions of eggs, of which one million were hatched and placed in the Sacramento River, the others being transported to hatching-houses in the East, and the young subsequently placed in the waters of the New England and Middle States, in addition to those of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.

The establishment at Bucksport, on the Penobscot, has also yielded over three million eggs. These have not yet been distributed, as they are not sufficiently far advanced, but they will be planted principally in the waters of the New England, Middle, and more northern of the Western States.

The importance of these measures for the artificial propagation of fish may be readily understood from the fact that the actual results from one pair of shad or salmon, treated artificially, fully equal those from one hundred, and, according to some, one thousand pairs, when left to perform this function naturally.

Deep-sea soundings.-Professor Baird has made a series of observations on temperatures of the sea-water at different depths, the results of which will be published in his report as United States Fish Commissioner.

The Institution has received, for investigation, from the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, under Commodore Ammen, a large number of specimens of deep-sea soundings, collected in the Pacinc Ocean by the officers of the United States steamship Tuscarora, Commander G. E. Belknap. These specimens have been referred for microscopic examination to Prof. Hamilton L. Smith, of Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y., who has undertaken the investigation, and will report the result as soon as the work is finished.

Polaris Artic Exploration.

During the past year Dr. Emil Bessels has been engaged at the Smithsonian Institution in working up that part of the scientific material which was saved from the collections of the voyage of the Polaris in the years 1871-73. The results of the investigations will be given in three