USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Reptiles: Annual Report, 1895 - 1896

What happens to a division when its curator leaves for a period of time to investigate an international crisis? This was the case during the 1896 fiscal year when Leonard Stejneger traveled to the Behring Sea to help investigate a dispute between the United States and Great Britain about seal fishery laws in the area. And the result was that a whole lot less work was done in Smithsonian’s Department of Reptiles. Assist researchers by transcribing a report about how such a time-consuming mission, outside of a curator’s typical duties, can stall a department’s progress.

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