140 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1947 



able collection of ferns now on hand. In my algae collection I find 250 

 samples, many of which are simply loaded with species and I have no 

 idea how many will appear in the final list. I think 500 would be a 

 very modest estimate and very likely there will be many more than 

 that when the diatoms are included." — George W. Prescott. 



"Even without special precautions, the island would seem to be safer, 

 hygienically speaking, than most areas of like size in the United 

 States. 



"Certainly all of the minimum requirements for successful labora- 

 tory work are fulfilled on the island. In addition to these minimum 

 facilities the laboratory possesses a remarkable versatility of equipment 

 as well as adequate laboratory space. And while it is obvious that 

 special equipment to suit the needs of the individual scientist must be 

 supplied by him, it is comforting to know that many laboratory necessi- 

 ties are accessible in a small clearing in a tropical rain forest." — Paul 



D. VOTH. 



"The island is more than ever a paradise for the biologist. Living 

 conditions are excellent, the food is fine, the resident staff efficient and 

 courteous. The forest offers a pageant of life which is the ideal labora- 

 tory for the study of the principles of biology. Not only has it proved 

 to be of great value for the undergraduates, but its worth for the 

 teacher has hardly been realized by more than a few. Every university 

 and college ought to send the members of its staff in the biological 

 sciences for a sojourn on the island, not once hut periodically. It 

 would he an economical investment in the improvement of teaching. 

 Tliis is especially true now when all emphasis is on the experimental 

 side with the result that so many workers know very little about the 

 organisms with which they work. The island will be an excellent place 

 for studies in plant and animal physiology. The rapid growth rate of 

 plants would aid such work tremendously." — Robert N. Woodworth. 



"In addition to the value of publications based on work on Barro 

 Colorado, who can estimate the influence of observations, studies, and 

 photographs which have formed the basis of unnumbered addresses 

 in lecture hall and classroom, or the educational value of museum 

 exhibits depicting island life? In brief, during their 15 years as a 

 laboratory, the 4,000 acres we know as Barro Colorado have contrib- 

 uted more to our knowledge of tropical wildlife than any other area 

 of similar extent in America — perhaps in the world." — Frank M. 

 Chapman. 



the species index 



A 5- by 8-inch card index is kept for each species of plant and animal 

 definitely known from the island. Each card lists the scientific name, 

 the major division to which it belongs, and the family name ; also the 



