132 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1954 



Minor repairs were made to the two launches and their engines. 



All buildings except the old Chapman house were gone over, and 

 all except the trail-end houses are in good shape. Of the latter, only 

 the Drayton and the Fuertes houses are in good condition. The Chap- 

 man house, if repaired, can be used for five more years. The iron 

 beds in all dormitories should be repainted. All trails were gone 

 over and fallen markers replaced. The trails are in good condition. 



MOST URGENT NEEDS 



Completion of the new large building is imperative. This will 

 house laboratories, a dark room, the library, herbarium, indexes, 

 microscopes, cameras, sterilizers, laboratory chemicals, reagents, and 

 glassware. Some progress has been made, but there is still much to 

 be done. Electric wiring and fixtures must be installed, water piped 

 in, and sinks provided. Tables, shelves, and chairs should be fur- 

 nished, metal bookcases purchased for the library, and six dehumidi- 

 fiers must be obtained. Plans provide for a large enough dry room 

 to dry out mattresses periodically. Another dry room is needed on 

 the upper floor of the old large building to keep laundry and bedding 

 from mildewing. 



Wlien the library is moved into the new building, the Haskins 

 fireproof building will be converted into a kitchen and kitchen store- 

 room, which will eliminate the fire hazard ever present in the wooden 

 structure now housing the kitchen. A new electric stove has been 

 purchased and will be installed as soon as the 220-volt line is avail- 

 able. An electric water heater will be purchased when funds are 

 available. 



SCIENTISTS AND THEIR STUDIES 



The primary purpose of the Canal Zone Biological Area is to pro- 

 vide a safe and accessible area for scientific research in the lower 

 humid tropics in the Americas. Probably nowhere else in the world 

 can be found the combination of unspoiled tropical jungle and health- 

 ful laboratory surroundings. Here scientists find a profusion of 

 plants and animals and are able to carry on a wide variety of special 

 studies. 



During the fiscal year 1954, 22 scientists came to the island. The 

 high cost of transportation prevents many from coming, and also, in 

 many cases curtails the length of stay. A list of the season's 22 in- 

 vestigators, with a brief summary of their special interests, follows: 



