REPORT OP THE SECRETARY / 



inents of Upper Cambrian trilobites. The next day these layers 

 were traced back to the brook, and a little lower in the section we 

 found two bands of shale and bluish-gray limestone which contained 

 fossils. The lower of the two contained many fragments of trilo- 

 bites, which were later identified as closely related to Upper Cam- 

 brian Franconia trilobites from Wisconsin, and the upper band 

 contained fossils of the same type as the fauna of the St. Lawrence 

 member of the Trempeauleau formation of Wisconsin. Thus after 

 a search occupying a portion or several field seasons, fossils were 

 found which definitely located the Lyell limestones as of Upper 

 Cambrian age. 



After the Lyell problem w^as definitely settled, further collections 

 of fossils were made in the Ozarkian upper Mons limestones of 

 Fossil Mountain, and later in the Mons formations of Wild Flower 

 Canyon, which heads on Johnston Creek Pass. 



During the past eight seasons considerable progress has been 

 made in the understanding of the pre-Devonian geological forma- 

 tions and their faunas in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, but much 

 I'emains to be done, particularly in the region between the Canadian 

 Pacific Railway and the Arctic Ocean. 



ZOOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN WESTERN CHINA 



In my last report mention was made of the tragic ending of the 

 Institution's collecting expedition in China conducted under the 

 auspices of Dr. W. L. Abbott. Mr. Charles M. Hoy, in charge of 

 the work, following a series of misfortunes, was stricken with a 

 severe case of appendicitis, and died shortly after. In order that 

 Hoy's work might be continued, his collecting outfit was transferred 

 to the Rev. David C. Graham, who for a number of years has col- 

 lected zoological material in the vicinity of Suifu for the National 

 Museum. In 1923 he had carried out very successful collecting 

 operations in the region about Tatsienlu, to the northwest of Suifu, 

 and in May, 1924, plans Avere completed for an expedition to Song- 

 pan, in the northern part of the Province of Szechwan, using Hoy's 

 outfit. 



The distance from Suifu to Songpan was about 400 miles, and in 

 order to keep down expenses Mr. Graham covered most of this 

 distance on foot. His party, including carriers, skinners, and other 

 helpers, reached Songpan on July 14, after a strenuous journey of 

 22 days. In September Mr. Graham wrote as follows : 



The Songpan trip has been taken, and we are safely at Suifu with 50 boxes 

 of specimens, most of whicli are about ready to be mailed by parcel post. 



This has been a harder and rougher trip than the one of Tatsienlu or any 

 other previous trip. It is much harder to secure food and other necessities 

 around Songpan than at Tatsienlu. There were times when we could pur- 



