Director's Report for igij- 17 



"Resolution" (London, 1783, 2vols. 8vo.). A steel card cabinet 

 is now needed for the indexes to the voyages. 



"The listing of duplicates and the classification of our lists of 

 'wants' have been begun. When the work is complete copies will 

 be sent to all the institutions on our exchange list. This method, 

 we hope, may unearth some important items that we have not been 

 able to obtain from book dealers. 



"Requests come to us from time to time for information in le- 

 gard to lists of books on Hawaii. One of the librarians in the 

 Library of Hawaii recently brought up the question of an Hawaii- 

 an bibliography saying how urgently a good one was needed. B}^ 

 way of suggestion, I may give my opinion that a good bibliography 

 could be prepared at the Museum by collecting the lists on special 

 subjects already prepared by the curators of departments and by 

 getting some help from outside specialists. General works should, 

 I think, be limited to those of original observers, or else the list 

 should be annotated. Such a work could not well be undertaken 

 by the Museum at present, but the need of it is unquestioned." 



The Librarian is right in her opinion that this work could not 

 be undertaken at present when the Museum has but three active 

 curators of botany, ethnology and pulmonata. This Museum has 

 no curator of ornithology to speak for the bird life and history; no 

 curator of marine zoology to speak of the fishes and their vast and 

 much studied life, of the corals, that some day may prove an index 

 to the age and formation of not only islands but continents within 

 the limits of coral growth, indeed of the life of the ocean almost as 

 extensive as the life of the land, and some day to take his place as 

 head of the marine zoological station that Mr. Bishop gives a promi- 

 nent place in his Deed of Trust, and for which the Legislature of 

 the Republic of Hawaii granted a location, and the Director of this 

 Museum made plans that were approved by Alexander Agassiz 

 and Dr. Dohrn of Naples; no curator of geology to call attention to 

 all that has been written on the volcanic manifestations on this 

 Group; no taxidermist to care for the large collection now in the 

 Museum of bird skins, nests and eggs; now without going farther. 



Occasional Papers, B. P. B. M. Vol. VI. No. 5—2. 



[263] 



