REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1923. 53 



by Arthur de C. Sowerby, the expense of which is most generously 

 met by Robert S. Chirk, which was started in the autumn of 1921 has 

 continued during the present fiscal year, and although at present 

 greatly interfered with by the unsettled conditions in the region 

 where work was being done, nevertheless very material additions to 

 our vertebrate collections have already been received as mentioned 

 above. 



Of equal significance is the fact that Dr. W. L. Abbott, after the 

 return of Charles M. Hoy from Australia, decided to send him to 

 China to collect for the Museum, Mr. Hoy departed for his new 

 field on December 15, 1922. Thus far no collections have been re- 

 ceived due to difficulties of transportation and the political situation 

 v/hich has placed obstacles in the way of reaching the final destina- 

 tion, but recent letters indicate that we may soon see tangible results 

 of his efforts. 



A third expedition in China, from which the National Museum is 

 expected to derive great benefit is that of the National Geographic 

 Society under the leadership of Mr. Wulsin, who is already in the 

 field. 



In this connection should be mentioned the activities of Rev. D. C. 

 Graham, who located at Suifu, in the province of Szechuen, China, 

 imdertook an expedition to Mount Omei, from which we received 

 very important collections, especially insects, birds, and reptiles. 

 He is planning to make an expedition to Tatsienlu, and possibly to 

 Mupin, during the summer of 1923, both localities of great zoological 

 interest. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott, revisited the Dominican Republic in February 

 and March, 1923, continuing his biological explorations of recent 

 years. Unfortunately, his permit to collect birds was delayed until 

 he was about to leave the country, so he only obtained the skin of one 

 bird and saved its body in alcohol. His collections of reptiles and 

 amphibians were highly important, however, obtaining as he did a 

 new species of frog recently described by Miss Cochran as Lepto- 

 dactylus abhotti^ from the specimen collected by him. It is nearly 

 related to the one from Porto Rico and establishes the genus as one 

 definitely belonging to the Antillean fauna. He also collected about 

 600 plants in the southern part of the Samana Peninsula, which al- 

 though not yet determined, will doubtless prove as interesting as the 

 previous collections obtained in the same region by Doctor Abbott, 

 which have yielded a large number of new species. 



In connection with the heredity experiments conducted by Doctor 

 Bartsch under the joint auspices of the Smithsonian and Carnegie 

 Institutions, it was found desirable to add several species of Cerions, 

 in order to exhaust the apparent possibilities that this group presents. 



