Old World. Egypt: Research Associate Harry Hoogstraal, 

 stationed in Egypt, continues to send us mammals, birds, reptiles, 

 amphibians, and ectoparasites. Nepal: Field Associate Robert L. 

 Fleming continued with his mission in Nepal. A shipment from him 

 contained 54 species of birds that he had not found hitherto in Nepal 

 (his earlier collections listed 490 kinds of birds). Malaya: Curator 

 D. Dwight Davis (Vertebrate Anatomy) engaged in six weeks of 

 field work studying the fauna of the rain forest north of Singapore 

 (see page 40). 



The many collections that we have been accumulating are pro- 

 viding the raw material for a rich harvest of research. Much of this 

 research is centering on comprehensive regional accounts of certain 

 groups of animals, checklists or other faunal reports of larger or 

 smaller parts of the globe, or comprehensive treatments (varying 

 from checklists to monographs) of animals or groups of animals. 

 These are usually projects that take years to complete. During their 

 progress entrancing side-issues appear that sometimes are followed 

 up, with results that may be elaborated into important pieces of 

 research. Sometimes routine curating necessitates research that 

 also results in published reports. 



Division of Mammals. The checklist of South American mam- 

 mals, now two-thirds completed (aided by a grant from the National 

 Science Foimdation), continues to occupy Curator Philip Hersh- 

 kovitz. In pursuance of this work he made a trip to the British 

 Museum (Natural History) in London, where he studied types of 

 South American mammals housed there. This work has also necessi- 

 tated a review of the deer and short papers on rodents, dogs, and 

 technical nomenclature problems. Interrupting his studies, as in 

 former years, is the periodic need for identification of mammals for 

 various specialists studying the ectoparasites that were collected 

 with the mammals. This is especially important in the African 

 material collected by Research Associate Hoogstraal, who is as 

 much interested in the parasites as in the vertebrates he collects. 



Division of Birds. Although absence on field work in Peru 

 (see page 67) has curtailed Curator Blake's research, he continues 

 to specialize in the systematics of Neotropical birds. He reviewed 

 a group of wood partridge and has started a report on the Cerro 

 Macarena (eastern Colombia) bird collection received last year. 

 Assistant Curator Melvin A. Traylor, Jr., completed the report on 

 the collection of Gabon birds (with Chief Curator Austin L. Rand), 

 began a report on the Angola bird collection and a checklist of the 

 birds of Angola, reviewed the African grey tits (with Mrs. B. P. Hall 

 of the British Museum), and prepared a paper on polymorphism in 



68 



