14 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1956 



higher atmosphere. The Observatory is also participating in the 

 new Satellite Tracking Program of the International Geophysical 

 Year. The division of radiation and organisms continued its research 

 on the role of light in regulating growth in higher plants. 



National Collection of Fine Arts. — The Smithsonian Art Commis- 

 sion accepted for the Gallery 1 oil painting, 3 miniatures, a German 

 antique cabinet, a collection of 31 pieces of glassware, 2 ceramic pieces, 

 and 3 bronze busts. The Gallery held 13 special exhibits during the 

 year, while the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service circulated 

 72 exhibitions, 71 in the United States and 1 abroad. 



Freer Gallery of Art. — Purchases for the collections of the Freer 

 Gallery included Chinese bronzes, paintings, and pottery; Japanese 

 lacquer work, metalwork, and painting; Indian and Syrian metal- 

 work; Coptic painting; and Persian pottery. The Gallery continued 

 its program of illustrated lectures in the auditorium by distinguished 

 scholars in Eastern art. 



National Air Museum. — All the Museum's stored materials have 

 now been moved to the storage facility at Suitland, Md. During the 

 year 118 specimens in 45 separate accessions were added to the aero- 

 nautical collections, including the first Pitcairn autogiro constructed 

 in America, a Stearman-Hammond airplane of the 1930's, the Curtiss 

 Robin monoplane Ole Miss, which established an endurance record in 

 1935, an original amphibious aircraft of 1909-12, and a Bell P-39 

 Airacobra, besides many scale models and other aeronautical acces- 

 sories and equipment. 



National Zoological Park. — The Zoo accessioned 1,710 individual 

 animals during the year, and 2,155 were removed by death, exchange, 

 or return to depositors. The net count at the close of the year was 

 2,965. Noteworthy among the additions were a pair of European 

 wisents, a rare dwarf Bolivian armadillo, an olingo from Colombia, 

 fine examples of gelada baboons, and a Guianan crested eagle. In all, 

 252 creatures were born or hatched at the Zoo during the year — 77 

 mammals, 43 birds, and 132 reptiles. Visitors totaled 3,788,229. 



Canal Zone Biological Area. — Mr. Zetek, longtime resident man- 

 ager, retired at the end of May. He is succeeded by Dr. Carl B. 

 Koford. The year's visitors to the island totaled 440, of whom about 

 50 were scientists using the station's facilities for special researches. 



International Exchange Service. — As the official United States 

 agency for the exchange of governmental, scientific, and literary 

 publications between this country and other nations, the International 

 Exchange Service handled during the year 1,161,855 packages of such 

 publications, weighing 803,056 pounds, about the same as last year. 

 Consignments were made to all countries except China, North Korea, 



