Excerpt from Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 5
The present series, entitled "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections," is intended to embrace all the publications issued directly by the Smithsonian Institution in octavo form; those in quarto constituting the "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." The quarto series includes memoirs embracing the records of extended original investigations and researches resulting in what are believed to be new truths, and constituting positive additions to the sum of human knowledge. The octavo series is designed to contain reports on the present state of our knowledge of particular branches of science: instructions for collecting and digesting facts and materials for research: lists and synopses of species of the organic and inorganic world: museum catalogues: reports of explorations: aids to bibliographical investigations, etc., generally prepared at the express request of the Institution, and at its expense.
The position of a work in one or the other of the two series will sometimes depend upon whether the required illustrations can be presented more conveniently in the quarto or the octavo form.
In the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, as well as in the present series, each article is separately paged and indexed, and the actual date of its publication is that given on its special title-page, and not that of the volume in which it is placed. In many cases, works have been published, and largely distributed, years before their combination into volumes.
While due care is taken on the part of the Smithsonian Institution to insure a proper standard of excellence in its publications, it will be readily understood that it cannot hold itself responsible for the facts and conclusions of the authors, as it is impossible in most cases to verify their statements.
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