68 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1913. 



of Minnesota, specimens of the genus Mitella, and to Mr. Marcus E. 

 Jones, of Salt Lake City, Utah, specimens of Astragalus. 



Explorations. — The expedition of Mr. Childs Frick, of New York, to 

 eastern Africa, of wliich Dr. E. A. Mearns, U. S. Army (retired), an 

 associate of the Museum, was a member, and which left London in 

 January, 1912, as described in the last report, terminated in Sep- 

 tember following. Starting from French Somahland, the party pro- 

 ceeded through Abyssinia to British East Africa by way of Lake 

 Stefanie and Lake Rudolf, finally reaching Mombasa. Forming part 

 of the extensive collections of natural history obtained was a fine 

 series of about 5,000 birds, the subject of Dr. Mearns' particular atten- 

 tion, which Mr. Frick has generously placed in the Museum. 



The hunting trip made by Dr. Theodore Lyman, of Harvard Uni- 

 versity, to the region of the Altai Mountains in Asia, on wliich he was 

 accompanied by Mr. N. HoUister of the Museum staff, met with very 

 gratifying results. The party was absent from May until September, 

 1912. Its course was over the Trans-Siberian Raihoad to the Obi 

 River, and up the latter by boat and later by tarantas and pack train 

 to the frontier range between Siberia and Mongoha. Collecting was 

 mainly done on the Siberia side and the mammals and birds obtained, 

 about 650 in number, have, through the courtesy of Dr. Lyman, been 

 divided between the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the 

 National Museum. 



Reference was made in the last report to the fund generously pro- 

 vided by Dr. W. L. Abbott for the purpose of sending a naturahst to 

 Borneo to continue the important natural history exploration of that 

 island which he had personally carried on for a number of years, 

 greatly to the advancement of the collections of the Museum. At 

 the close of the year, Mr. H. C. Raven, who was dispatched on this 

 mission, had been absent about 16 months. While no formal report 

 has been received from him, it is known that he has followed along 

 the hues planned by Dr. Abbott, which were to explore in as much 

 detail as possible the coast rivers and islands of the northern half of 

 the south and east division of Dutch Borneo, which Dr. Abbott had 

 not been able to visit, pajang particular attention to the mammals 

 besides collecting any ethnological objects that might be of interest. 

 The material which Mr. Raven has already transmitted testifies that 

 liis work is proceeding successfully. Dr. Abbott, who returned to 

 Kashmir early in the spring of 1912, interested himself in trapping 

 and studying the habits of the smaller mammals of that countrj^, of 

 which he presented the Museum with a large number of specimens, 

 mostly from Baltistan, accompanied by much interesting information. 

 Mr. Arthur deC. Sowerby continued his collecting work in China and 

 forwarded during the year a number of mammals and reptiles. 



