14 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 6 



ment funds will eventually be substantially augmented, with a corre- 

 sponding increase in the annual income for current researches. 



BEQUESTS 



William L. Ahhott hequest. — Dr. William L. Abbott, associate in 

 zoology since March 25, 1905, who had conducted and sponsored many 

 field expeditions for the Institution, died April 2, 1936. Under the 

 terms of Dr. Abbott's will, the Smithsonian Institution is to receive, 

 in addition to any of his books and papers that they may desire, 

 one-fifth of his residuary estate. According to advices from the 

 executors of the estate, the Institution's share will be in the neighbor- 

 hood of $100,000. This final expression of Dr. Abbott's friendship is 

 very gratifying to the Institution, since he was one of its most valued 

 collaborators and had contributed materially to the upbuilding of its 

 biological and other collections. 



Charles Dyke hequest. — In the will of Charles Dyke, probated in 

 Corpus Christi, Tex., July 29, 1935, appears the following provision : 



Item three : All the rest, residue, aud remainder of my estate * * * i 

 give, devise, aud bequeath to the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, District 

 of Columbia, to be used in founding and endowing a chair in some branch of 

 the Institution, to be designated as the branch of financial research, whose 

 purpose is to take steps to capitalize on any inventions, discoveries in research, 

 or through whatever other project seems most feasible. The aim of this bequest 

 is to enhance the endowment funds of this Institution to the highest degree 

 practicable in opulence through the efforts of said chair of financial research. 



The Dyke estate is to remain in the hands of the executor during 

 the life of the first beneficiary, after which the legacy will be paid 

 to the Institution. Advice has been received from Mr. Dyke's attor- 

 ney that the present value of the property is about $15,000. 



EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD WORK 



In the furtherance of its researches, the Institution sent out or 

 took part in 15 expeditions to a number of foreign countries as well 

 as to many localities in the United States. Dr. Charles W. Gilmore 

 collected rare vertebrate fossils in Montana and Wyoming. Dr. 

 Charles E. Resser studied the Cambrian rocks of the southern Appa- 

 lachian Mountains. Dr. G. Arthur Cooper established stratigraphic 

 correlations of Devonian rocks in the mid-western States and in New 

 York State. Mark C. Bandy collected mineral specimens in the 

 famous mineral localities of Chile. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., studied the 

 fauna of the Florida Keys, with particular reference to the manmials 

 peculiar to that area. Dr. Doris M. Cochran investigated the am- 

 ]ihibian life of Brazil. Dr. Waldo Schmitt, as a member of the 

 Hancock Pacific Expedition to the west coast of Central and South 



