Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-14

part OF the world engaged IN studying the
various collections.
The division of economic geology. con-
tains more than half million different
exhibits. and holds the worlds first rank
among all exhibits of this kind One may
find any sort of exhibit from huge me-
teorite to few grains of sand.
It's collection of meteorites ranks next
to the one in Vienna. Scientists are con-
tinually studying it in the hope of find
ing the source of their origin.
One may see the skeletons Of extinct
animals so large that the elephant looks
small in comparison. He may stand I'M
der the skeleton of a huge whale more
than q hundred feet long, and look
through microscope at sea shells so
small that to the naked eye they seem
but specks of dust.
No collection in the museum is more in
teresting to the ordinary visitor than the
anthropological exhibit. Here one may
trace human progress from the stone age
existence of his antediluvian ancestors to
his own twentieth century civilization.
Likewise he may trace, in other collec-
lions, the development of the arts and
sciences. He may follow shipbuildng
from the rude hollowed-out log to the per-
the art of printing from the toughest
wood type to the finest steel engraving.
The collection Of birds in the National
Museum contains 10000 different ex-
-, = hibits. There are
Birds and 1900 KIN W n
T..t. r.,,..4:s species OF birds
SS~sS ~OA'o~'0~' and nearly every
one is represented.
The collection of insects is also large
and valuable one. There may be seen
huge bugs as large as the hand and tiny
ones as small as pins head. Some of
them are unusually interesting.
The Hercules beetle is the worlds orig
inal sawyer. He has mandibles which are
fitted with saw teeth. He grasps .twig
until he succeeds in saving 1t off,
The Bombadier bug is the original
shooting instrument Of the world. When
attacked by an enemy it fires a Wad of
blue smoke with a report that serves
to give 1t protection.
Through the international exchange
service Of the Smithsonian Institution
the United States Is able to keep in close
touch with scientific progress In other
parts Of the world. 1t is the mission OF
this service to supply other scientific in
stftutions Of the world with such Amer
lean scientific literature as may be of
interest to them.
In exchange for this they deliver to the
Smithsonian Institution similar publica-
tions. and these are deposited in the Lii
and thirty partial sets Of all official pub
locations Of the United States are now
being sent to other countries.
In return there is delivered into the
similar number of sets of the official pub
LEGATIONS Of other countries. These are of
great value to students of political and
economic conditions.
~
The American end Of the work of the
International catalogue of scientific litera-
ture Is carried
international on under the
Science Catalogue. ,nst,, uun OF Tine ,ne
catalogue is classified author and sub
ject catalogue OF all original scientific
papers published throughout the world
since 1900.
There is q regional bureau in every
principal country, which indexes the
scientific literature of that country. All
these regional indexes are delivered to the
central bureau in London. where they
are assembled, edited and published an
nually in seventeen volumes. The cost of
printing and publishing is met by the
sale of the catalogue.
Every scientific journal in the world Is
examined with patience and q record
made of each article. This catalogue,
beginning with the opening year of the
twentieth century, will be a complete In
dex Of all the scientific thought of the
world during the years covered by it.
AS 1t is to be a perpetual catalogue the
scientists of the future will be able to
take advantage of all scientific informa-
ton that accumulates from the beginning
of the century.
1t is the aim of the institution to diffuse
knowledge we'll as to add to it. There
fore, reports of its work are published
and placed in the libraries of the coun-
try, where serious students may at all
times have access to them.
One Of its publications is the annual
report. This gives a synopsis of the
activities of the Smithsonian during the
preceding year. and carries an appendix
which is filled with important papers on
various subjects.
The second class of publications is call
ed the Smithsonian Contributions to
knowledge. This Is issued annually in
several volumes and represents the
achievements Of the original investigators
of the institution.
The third class of publications is call.
ed the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Col
lecttons. 1t covers every subject from the
description OF a new species Of MOSQUITO
to researches In the attainment of very
low temperatures.
TOmOrr0w-THE Government AT
WORK. XII. INTERSTATE COM
MERGE COMMISSION.