30 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 60 



Between August 17 and September 10 Dr. George S. Switzer, curator 

 of mineralogy and petrology, visited several institutions in Europe 

 to examine their mineral collections and discuss future exchanges 

 with staff members. Subsequently, he attended the first general as- 

 sembly of the International Mineralogical Association in Zurich, 

 where he represented the Mineralogical Society of America, and a 

 meeting of the Museums Commission of the International Mineralog- 

 ical Association. This highly successful international session was 

 followed by a 4-day field excursion to classic mineral localities in the 

 Swiss Alps. During the week following March 4 Dr. Switzer visited 

 Dr. Mark C. Bandy, of Phoenix, Ariz., to examine a collection of 

 several thousand mineral specimens comprising an exceptionally val- 

 uable study set of South American minerals, especially from the tin 

 mines at Llallague, Bolivia. 



In September E. P. Henderson, associate curator of mineralogy 

 and petrology, accompanied by Grover C. Morel and, physical science 

 aide, visited the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, to 

 study the techniques developed there for polishing metals, ores, and 

 meteorites. Mr. Henderson also examined specimens of the New 

 Concord meteorite in the Ohio State University Museum and some 

 of the Hopewell material in the ISIuseum of Archeology. In connec- 

 tion with the annual meetings of the Geological Society of America 

 in Pittsburgh, November 1-12, he visited the Mellon Institute and 

 discussed exchanges of meteorites and tektites with staff members. 

 Subsequently, he discussed problems pertaining to meteorites with 

 staff members of the Chicago Natural History Museum and the Uni- 

 versity of Chicago, 



Long interested in the study of tektites, IMr. Henderson has 

 been attempting for some years to acquire a representative collection 

 of these interesting extraterrestrial objects for the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. One of the principal collectors has been Dr. II, Otley Beyers, 

 of Manila, who has perhaps the largest privately owned tektite col- 

 lection in the world. Aided by a grant from the National Science 

 Fonndation, Mr. Henderson left Washington late in .January to select 

 from this collection, with Mr. Beyers's cooperation, representative 

 material for the Smith.sonian, He spent nearly two months in Manila 

 at this task, and as a result approximately 10,000 specimens will come 

 to the Institution as a donation by Dr. Beyers. These very valuable 

 specimens will greatly augment the material available in the United 

 States for study by specialists. After completion of his work in the 

 Philippines, Mr. Plenderson visited 15 institutions in Viet Nam, 

 Thailand, Burma, India, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, 

 France, and England, becoming acquainted with specialists on mete- 

 orites and tektites and making preliminary arrangements concerning 



