4 Director' s Annual Report. 



piercing the body of the vertebrae and holding the spine in rigid 

 curvature. It is believed that there is no better or more instruc- 

 tive specimen in the United States. Illustrations both of the skele- 

 ton and of its covering are herewith given. Figs, i, 2 and 3. It is 

 hoped that soon a similar specimen of the Right Whale may be 

 placed on the opposite side of the Hall. 



Also b}^ purchase a skeleton of a smaller whale, 17.6 feet long, 

 from New Zealand {Mesoplodon gravi) has been obtained and well 

 ■cleaned and mounted b}- Mr. Bryan of the Museum staff. It is well 

 shown in the accompanying illustrations, Figs. 4-8, and as it is not 

 a common specimen, the skull has been photographed as well as the 

 •ear bones. It presents features in common with the description of 

 another species of Mesoplodon and in the absence of material for 

 (Comparison the determination of its specific place is not certain. 



As far as possible in the absence of cases the work of preparing 

 the bird groups has gone on, and a fair illustration of one of the 

 larger grovips is given in Fig. 9, where Mr. Bryan has, as it were, 

 taken a secliion of the rocky breeding place of the Tropic bird. 

 Eggs, young and adults are all skilfully shown, and our thanks 

 are due to Mr. F. M. Swanzy for permission to secure the needed 

 specimens from the islet Mokolii. For the smaller birds a differ- 

 ent but not less effeclive treatment is shown in Fig. 10. This is 

 certainly much more attraclive and truer to Nature than the old 

 method of mounting stiffly on .stands. Twenty-seven such groups 

 are planned for the Hawaiian avifauna. 



The grass house mentioned in ni}- last report has been com- 

 pleted and furni.shes a very satisfadtory illustration of an ancient 

 grass house of the simpler sort. It will be fully described and 

 illustrated in the account of Hawaiian house building which it is 

 proposed to publish in the Museum Memoirs. It may be said here, 

 however, that it is large enough to live in, and not a mere model, 

 and it has been construdled in the ancient way, except that the 

 human sacrifice was not deemed necessary, from the frame of an 

 old house in a valley on Kauai, and this was given by the Knudsen 



