Circulars for Natural History Collecting
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Date: April 1, 1855
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Secretary Joseph Henry issues a circular requesting help to complete the Smithsonian's collection of the quadrupeds of North America. It includes instructions for the preservation of specimens. An 1854, 2nd edition of Spencer F. Baird's circular, "Directions for Collecting, Preserving, and Transporting Specimens of Natural History," is referenced in the 1855 circular. The complete text for Baird's directions is published in the 1856 Annual Report (pp.235-253). In his report for that year, Baird states that the museum's "...collection of the vertebrate animals of North America, including skins, specimens entire in alcohol, and skeletons and skulls, is in every department, the richest in the world in materials for illustrating species and their geographical distribution." (p. 59)
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
April 1, 1855