EEPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1908. 45 



some of the latter, together with a few specimens of other orders, 

 being transferred to the permanent drawers recently furnished. 



The exhibition of insects in the west range of the Smithsonian 

 building was practically completed as far as the available space 

 permitted. During the year the old exhibits of termites and their 

 work and of the Rocky jNIountain locust were renovated and replaced 

 in the series, new specimens being added to the former and new labels 

 prepared. An illustration of the work of hymenopterous insects was 

 also begun. A display of local insects, consisting of about 1,000 

 species of Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Odonata, contained in 7 unit 

 boxes, forms the beginning of a series intended to cover all orders. 

 Many butterflies and other insects have been collected for this series 

 and will be installed later. Two additional unit boxes contain dragon 

 flies from Japan and beetles from Africa. A series of especially 

 injurious insects was projected, but only the boll weevil and the gipsy 

 moth, together with some 30 species of mosquitoes, including those 

 causing yellow fever and malaria, were placed on exhibition. Con- 

 siderable work was done on the series representing mimicry, etc. 



Dr. L. O. Howard, Dr. H. G. Dyar, and Mr. Frederick Knab con- 

 tinued Avork on a monograph of the mosquitoes of North and Central 

 America and the West Indies, which was the principal investigation 

 of the year. About 8,700 insects were lent to entomologists in the 

 United States and Europe for study and identification. The entire 

 collection of bumblebees and Psithyridae was placed in the hands of 

 Mr. H. J. Franklin, of Amherst College, for monographing. Speci- 

 mens of beetles of the subfamily Aleocharinse to the number of about 

 2,500 were sent to Dr. A. Fenyes, of Pasadena, California, who has 

 otfered to identify the named species and determine the others ge- 

 nerically, and later he will probably describe the new forms. Prof. 

 H. C. Fall, also of Pasadena, received several hundred beetles of the 

 genus Diplotaxis of which he is preparing a memoir; and Mr. G. C. 

 Champion, of London, England, a large number of North and Central 

 American weevils of the family Barididae, for examination in connec- 

 tion with his work on the Biologia Centrali-Americana. About 2,000 

 specimens of Tineid moths were taken to England by Mr. August 

 Busck, for comparison with collections in that country. 



Mollusl's. — Besides the material elsewhere referred to, there were 

 acquired b}^ exchange about 330 species of Philippine land shells 

 from the MollendorlF and Quadras collections. Of the 1,500 species 

 known from these islands, the Museum has now authentically-named 

 specimens of about 1,330 species. Some 280 species of land shells 

 from Madeira, the Canaries, and other Atlantic islands, including 

 cotypes of species described by Lowe and Wollaston, and type speci- 

 mens of 20 Mexican and Central and South American species de- 

 scribed by Preston, were obtained by purchase. Mr. Charles Hedley 



