98 CARNEGIK INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



Library of Congress. The work done during the past year has 

 consisted chiefly in — 



(i) Endeavors to secure information about societies and institu- 

 tions which did not reply to the circular letters sent out in 1903, viz : 



(a) Personal investigations in Europe: (i) By Mr. and Mrs. 

 J. D. Thompson (Great Britain, France, Belgium, Holland, Ger- 

 many, Italy, Switzerland). (2) By Mr. A. V. Babine (Russia, 

 Austria-Hungary). (3) By Mr. A. R. Spofford (Spain, Italy). 

 (4) By Mr. J. Dieserud (Norway, Sweden, Denmark). 



(d) Assistance by the United States diplomatic service in South 

 America. 



(c) Further efforts by correspondence. 



(2) Reducing to standard form the material received, at the same 

 time verifying the statements made and supplementing them, when- 

 ever inadequate, by reference to bibliographies and other publications 

 in the Library of Congress. 



It is expected that the first part of the handbook will be ready for 

 printing in November, and that the manuscript of the remaining 

 parts will be completed within the two years allotted for compilation. 

 Arrangement of the societies by countries, with a subject index, is 

 proposed, in place of classification by subject, as originally approved. 



BOTANY. 



Desert Botanical Laboratory. Grant No. 108. Frederick V. Co- 

 ville, Washington, D. C, and D. T. MacDougal, New York, 

 N. Y. , Advisory Committee. $5,000. 



Ab&trad of Report. — Dr. MacDougal, of the Advisory Committee, 

 was occupied at the laboratory during the month of Februar)^ 1904, 

 in planning and carrying forward an investigation of soil temper- 

 atures. Continuous observations have since been carried on by 

 means of the instruments installed at that time. In addition. Dr. 

 MacDougal made an examination of the vegetation of the delta of 

 the Colorado River and of adjoining portions of Lower California. 

 His papers on the latter work are enumerated below in the list of 

 publications emanating from the laboratory. 



Dr. Coville, of the committee, visited the laboratory in June and 

 conferred with the resident investigator regarding the work and the 

 business aft'airs of the establishment. 



Dr. W. A. Cannon, the resident investigator, has developed meth- 

 ods and apparatus for the quantitative measurement of transpiration 

 in plants m situ. He has prepared a paper describing the apparatus 



