36 ANNUAL BEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 192 8 



Habana, Cuba, presented 185 lots of molliisks, mostly types of new 

 species. 



In the division of plants important accessions have included 9,000 

 specimens collected in Honduras for the Museum by Mr. Paul C. 

 Standley; more than 5,000 specimens, mainly grasses, transferred 

 from the Bureau of Plant Industry ; and nearly 3,000 from Formosa 

 and Sumatra, representing a complete set of the material collected 

 by Prof. H. H. Bartlett, collaborator of the Museum, under the joint 

 auspices of the National Museum and the University of Michigan. 



Geology. — Under the Roebling fund, established last year, there 

 have been secured by purchase examples of four new species of min- 

 erals; some rare minerals from Franklin Furnace, N. J., now difficult 

 to procure; a large mass of strong!}^ magnetic lodestone from Utah, 

 which attracts much attention in our exhibition halls; and a number 

 of beautiful minerals for the exhibition and study series. These 

 constitute highly important additions to our collections which other- 

 wise it would have been impossible to procure, illustrating the value 

 of special funds under the Smithsonian Institution for the purchase 

 of needed specimens. 



There may be mentioned also a G5-carat cut gem of alexandrite, one 

 of the finest in existence, secured under the Chamberlain fund, 

 together with a fine Mexican opal, a brown diamond, and some other 

 beautiful minerals. Miss Nina Lea, grandaughter of Isaac Lea, 

 founder of the Isaac Lea collection, presented an unusual series of 

 cut stones of sphene. Mr. William P. Pitts, of Sunnyvale, Calif., 

 presented five varieties of cut semiprecious stones, with examples of 

 the rough minerals from which they were derived. 



During field work in Mexico by Dr. "\V. F. Foshag, assistant 

 curator of mineralogy and petrology, working in cooperation with 

 Harvard University, groups of gypsum crystals, sets of valuable 

 ores, and many other important specimens were collected. 



Through the bequest of Dr. Frank Springer, late associate in 

 paleontology, the ]\Iuseum has received the Frank Springer collection 

 of fossil echinoderms, together with a very complete libraiy on this 

 subject. The collection, considered the most complete assemblage of 

 fossil echinoderms in the world, comprises upw^ard of 75,000 speci- 

 mens, including many types. With it has come the Springer fund, 

 established by the donor to promote work in connection with his 

 collection. 



A second gift of value is the private collection of Paleozoic inverte- 

 brates from Dr. August F. Foerste, collaborator in paleontology, 

 containing types of many species. The field work of Mr. E. R. Pohl 

 in Michigan and Ontario yielded important series of Ordovician, 

 Devonian, and Miysissippian fossils. 



