170 Director's Report for i(jip. 



It is o\\\y natural thai a sul>ji.ot nf micIi consuming inii.ri.st to the act- 

 ive workers in entoniolog}' here, as the entoniohjgical policy of the Bishop 

 Museum, should receive further thought and deliberation, and wc find our- 

 selves at present, after the lapse of six months, burdened with many sugges- 

 tions of a specific nature on the means of accomplishing the work outlined. 

 Regarding a "Reference Collection of Hawaiian Insects," we desire to state 

 our absolute conviction that nothing of importance can be accomplished in 

 the way of building up such a collection of Hawaiian insects until a compe- 

 tent, trustworthy and permanent curator of insects is appointed. Onlj^ a com- 

 petent man can do the work well, and the labor involved would require his 

 enire time for many years. It has been stated before that there are types 

 and series of specimens of endemic as well as introduced insects ready for 

 the Museum when a competent and truslworth custodian is provided and 

 liberal regulation of their use admitted. 



It has also been pointed out that the Museum now has representatives 

 of sixty-four per cent of the species of Hawaiian insects known and listed 

 at the time the Fauna Hawaiiensis was published. These are virtually types, 

 being actual specimens in hand when the descriptions were made. With so 

 large a proportion already possessed a complete representation seems emi- 

 nently desirable, and its importance to workers here, who are desirous of 

 carrying on the labors of Blackburn, Perkins, Kirkaldy and others, cannot be 

 over-stated. It is impossible for most of us to go as far as London to exam- 

 ine the types unrepresented here, yet thorough descriptive work cannot be 

 done without seeing them. Apparently undescribed species are constantly 

 being discovered as the result of intensive collecting, which should be pub- 

 lished. Also many groups of Hawaiian insects need revision badly and the 

 material is at hand for the work. The Museum could foster work of this 

 kind by offering to finance the study of the types by specialists undertaking 

 descriptive or revisory work, receiving in return for the outlay, the manu- 

 scripts for publication and insect material, including types, specimens com- 

 pared with types, and series of specimens for reference to build up the col- 

 lections. Some of this work could undoubtedly be undertaken by the Curator. 

 When the further entomologolical exploration of the Pacific, now in 

 contemplation, begins to secure results, if, as this Society has strongly urged, 

 the material obtained is turned over to the Museum for administration, the 

 need for this advanced organization of its entomological work will become 

 still more imperative and, indeed, this work should not otherwise be under- 

 taken. 



Marine Laboratory 



The (Wed of trust by which the Mtiseum was estabhshed 

 empowers the Trustees of the ^Museum to estabhsh at their dis- 

 cretion a laboratory for the study of marine Hfe. Because the 

 funds retjuired for the construction, equipment and manning- of 

 such an institution would restrict the activities of the Museum 

 in other directions, work in marine zoology has consisted largely 

 of collecting and making" available for study, the marine fauna of 

 the islands. The hoped-for opportunity of enlarging this work in 



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