REPORT OF NATIOITAL MUSEUM, 1919. 78 



of their own applied science, should be complete and harmonious 

 even in those fields which on superficial consideration would seem 

 remote and unconnected. But not only their field, but also their 

 power and resources are limited, thus leaving big gaps in our ma- 

 terial without which really basic scientific work can not be expected. 

 It is a privilege to acknowledge our indebtedness to a few generous 

 friends of the Museum who by directly going into the field collecting 

 or by sending out collectors at their own expense are striving to fill 

 some of these gaps, conspicuous examples being the work done by 

 by Dr. W. L. Abbott in the Malayan Archipelago, as well as that ac- 

 complished in various parts of Africa by a number of private ex- 

 peditions. Cooperation with other institutions, such as last year's 

 botanical explorations in South America by Dr. J. N. Rose, have 

 also been helpful in building up our collections more systematically. 

 Finall}', it is occasionally possible to obtain material needed for the 

 solution of the many questions which arise by exchange with other 

 museums. The small sum which in most years has been less than 

 $800 which it has been found possible to expend in purchases foi this 

 department has only partly been available for the above purpose, 

 having been mostly utilized for filling gaps in the exhibition series. 

 A noteworthy exception which for" that very reason most distinctly 

 illuminates the general rule is presented by the Francis Lea Cham- 

 berlain Fund, from which the section of mollusks is able to supple- 

 ment some of the deficiencies in its series. Were each division simi- 

 larly provided, it would be possible within a reasonable time to 

 round out the collections in such a way that the conclusions based on 

 their study might be given out with the confidence that they can be 

 relied upon as solid foundations for future work in the applied 

 branches of the biologic science. 



It is of even greater importance, however, that the scientific staff 

 should be enabled whenever necessary to study their subject in the 

 field no less than in the Museum. It is regarded as a matter of course 

 that paleontologists spend part of each year in the field, while the 

 zoologists and botanists studying the recent organisms are supposed 

 to be able to do full justice to the material under their care by work- 

 ing at their desks all the year round over collections brought to the 

 Museum by outside agencies. True, most of the biologist's material 

 consists of dead specimens, but many of the problems placed before 

 him depend for their proper understanding upon the relation be- 

 tween the living specimens and their environment. The time is past 

 when the work of the zoologist and the botanist was done by merely 

 naming and describing the objects on the shelves of the Museum. 

 That could be done in the laboratory, as well as the study of their 

 histology and embryology. But with the renaissance of biologic 

 science, following the establishment of evolution as its governing 



