46 AKNTJAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1963 



at Calcutta and studied sea anemones at Port Canning, the University 

 of Madras, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at Manda- 

 pam Camp, the Porto-Novo Marine Biological Station, and the Insti- 

 tute of Science of the University of Bombay. En route to India 

 Mr. Cutress examined anemone types at the British Museum (Natural 

 History) and, on the way home, studied and collected anemone mate- 

 rial at the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli. These studies will con- 

 tribute to the solution of major problems of long standing in the 

 classification of the sea anemones. 



As biological consultant of the National Science Foundation, Dr. 

 Waldo L. Schmitt, honorary research associate, late in November 

 joined an expedition to the Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica, to survey 

 possible sites for a scientific station in that area. Delays in obtaining 

 transportation on an icebreaker afforded Dr. Schmitt the opportunity 

 to visit institutions and consult with biologists in New Zealand, par- 

 ticularly at Christchurch, and to visit the USARP McMurdo Station 

 on the shores of the Ross Sea ice shelf. He finally sailed on the U.S.S. 

 Staten Island on January 5. During the ensuing 2^/^ months before 

 returning to the Museum, he examined 20 possible sites for a station 

 from the point of view of logistics, engineering problems, meteorolog- 

 ical conditions, and biological potential. At the same time he made 

 land, shore, and offshore collections by various means, including hook 

 and line, traps, tow nets, and dredges. 



Continuing his work on the marine mollusks of the Indo-Pacific 

 region. Dr. Harald A. Rehder, curator of mollusks, collected on the 

 island of Tahiti from mid- January to mid-March. Here he con- 

 centrated efforts in the coastal area immediately to the east of Papeete 

 but also made several trips around the island, obtaining a good repre- 

 sentation of mollusks from numerous localities in almost all districts. 

 Dr. Rehder also gathered fresh- water mollusks at the mouths and 

 along the courses of the three principal streams that traverse the Dis- 

 tricts of Pirae, and examined the area for land snails. The results of 

 this trip will assist in planning for future fieldwork in the southern 

 Polynesian area. 



In connection with his studies on the families Tridacnidae and 

 Littorinidae of the Indo-Pacific region. Dr. Joseph Rosewater, asso- 

 ciate curator of mollusks, spent 6 weeks during February and March 

 on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands utilizing the excellent 

 facilities of the Eniwetok Marine Biological Laboratory of the Atomic 

 Energy Commission. Representatives of all four species of Tridac- 

 nidae living around the atoll were collected and maintained in the 

 laboratory. The brightly hued mantles of these specimens provided 

 valid distinguishing differences, and dissection of the animals yielded 

 additional valuable information regarding their anatomical distinc- 



