REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21 



was representing the United States Department of Agriculture, left 

 for the Kafue River region, where they camped for several weeks. 



After spending some weeks along the Congo, they reached Lake 

 Tanganyika, where camp was made for about a month. The next 

 stop of any length was in Uganda, where a few days over a month 

 was spent in collecting in the Bundogo Forest. As the whole forest 

 was in the sleeping-sickness area, it was necessary to get a special 

 permit from the district commissioner to enter it, and the native 

 boys engaged by Mr. Raven had to be examined by a doctor before 

 entering the area and again on leaving it. At the close of the year, 

 Mr. Raven was at Masindi, in Uganda, preparing to return to the 

 United States. 



Only one shipment of material had been received by the end of the 

 year, consisting of 239 mammals and birds from southern Africa, 

 which, with the remainder of the specimens still to be received from 

 Mr. Raven, will be of great value in working up the African material 

 already in the Museum collections. 



AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 



Through the continued generosity of Dr. W. L. Abbott, the Insti- 

 tution sent Mr. Charles M. Hoy to Australia for the purpose of col- 

 lecting vertebrates, especially those which are in danger of extermina- 

 tion. As the Museum at present contains only about 200 specimens of 

 the remarkable Australian mammal fauna, this expedition is of the 

 utmost scientific importance, especially since in the future it will be 

 impossible to secure an adequate representation of the fauna owing 

 to their rapid extermination. 



Mr. Hoy began work in Australia about the 1st of June, 1919, and 

 by the close of the past fiscal year one shipment had been received at 

 the Museum, consisting of 240 mammals and 228 birds. The follow- 

 ing passages from reports and letters received from Mr. Hoy give 

 an idea of the conditions under which the collecting was carried on : 



Nine weeks were spent in the Wandandian region (19 miles southwest of 

 Norwra, New South Wales), with the result of but 131 mammals and 124 birds 

 collected. Among the mammals 10 genera and 12 species are represented in my 

 collection. 



The greatest agent working toward the extermination of the native animals is 

 the fox ; next comes the cattle and sheep men, who distribute poison by the cart- 

 load in the effort to reduce the rabbits. This has also caused or helped to 

 cause the extermination of some of the ground-inhabiting birds. Another great 

 agent is the bush fires which sweep over the country. These are often lit in- 

 tentionally in order to clear out the undergrowth and thus increase the grass. 



The extermination of the native mammals has apparently gone much further 

 than is generally thought. Many species that were plentiful only a few years 

 ago are now almost, if not altogether, extinct. Diseases have also played a 

 great part in the extermination. The native bear died in thousands from a dis- 

 ease which produced a great bony growth on their heads. A mysterious disease 



