REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 141 



name of the collector, the name of the person who made the determina- 

 tion, when and where collected, and other pertinent details. 



These cards are indexed first according to the major phyla — mam- 

 mals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, etc. — which are 

 further subdivided into superorders, orders, etc., and finally by fam- 

 ilies. Under each family the genera are in alphabetical order, and 

 the species for each genus are also in alphabetical order. 



This index is invaluable to the student. It is a unique record of the 

 life of the island. In 1940 the index covered a total of 4,924 species 

 of plants and animals, representing 2,805 genera. In plants alone 

 there were 747 genera and 1,437 species. Since 1940 new entries have 

 been made, but no count has been made of the present number, owing 

 to pressure of other duties, especially those concerned with the war 

 effort. A conservative estimate is about 7,000 species. 



Extensive collections have been made of algae, fungi, and lichens, but 

 because of the war, reports on these have not yet been published. 

 Lesser collections were made in other groups. A conservative estimate 

 would be fully 700 species. 



THE ISLAND HERBARIUM 



The herbarium consists of 1,533 mounted specimens, representing 

 806 species, not including the mosses. These sheets are in genus 

 covers, and the collection is arranged in four major groups, the crypto- 

 gams, ferns, monocotyledons, and dicotyledons. In each of these 

 groups the genus covers are grouped according to the families, and 

 these, for convenience in handling, are alphabetically arranged. There 

 are on hand more than 2,500 additional named specimens as yet un- 

 mounted and these will probably swell the number of species to close 

 to 1,200. 



The herbarium is a most valuable adjunct to a laboratory such as 

 ours. It does more than supplement the botanical library. Too often 

 botanical literature is of little help to one not a trained botanist, and 

 for this majority of students, the herbarium is what is needed. 



NEEDS 



The most urgent needs are for a concrete water tank to replace 

 wooden tanks now in bad condition; new septic tanks; painting of all 

 buildings, inside and out; herbarium and other storage cases; replace- 

 ment of bedding and purchase of additional furniture; and miscel- 

 laneous repairs to buildings: It is estimated that these present most 

 urgent needs could be met at a cost of $10,000. 



Other needs that should be met promptly are for a more adequate 

 supply of electricity; a new fireproof building to house the libraiy, 

 photographic equipment, herbarium, and records; and adequate 



