February, '21] business proceedings 29 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Your committee begs leave to report, as follows: 



First: Activities during the year 1920. 



In order that all might understand the importance of the Division of Insects of the 

 U. S. National Museum and realize its needs to handle the vast volume of material 

 submitted to it bj'^ entomologists for study and information, our report, submitted 

 at the last annual meeting at St. Louis was printed in Science as well as in the entomol- 

 ogical journals, and reprints furnished to entomologists throughout the country for 

 their use in advising on the subject. As a result the report was approved and assist- 

 ance extended by the National Research Council, the Florida Entomological Society 

 and the Indiana Academy of Science. 



An itemized budget w^as not included in our report a year ago but the past year 

 this matter has been carefully studied and a budget totaling $83,660 was decided 

 upon as the amount needed at once. This amount is considered adequate to provide 

 the needed curators, assistants and preparators, and will also furnish a suitable 

 allowance for the purchase of needed supplies and equipment and permit a small 

 amount for travel and exploration and in addition make it possible to inaugurate 

 proper facilities for publication. This budget was presented to Dr. C. D. Walcott, 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, October 1 with the urgent reqitest that he 

 include the item in his budget for the National Museum. This could not be done as 

 the budget had been sent to Congress previous to June but Doctor Walcott generously 

 agreed to approve the item provided its inclusion by the house committee could be 

 secured. Consequently the matter was taken up with Congressman Good, Chairman 

 of the House Appropriations Committee, Doctor Walcott at the same time approving 

 the item in a letter to Chairman Good. To this request we were advised that owing 

 to the deficiency in the Treasury and the manj^ needs confronting Congress that 

 additional appropriations could not be considered at this time. After careful con- 

 -sideration your committee believes it advisable to refrain from pushing the matter 

 at the present session of Congress but to request insertion of the item in the Museum 

 budget at the next session of Congress. 



Second : Support needed. Your committee urges every member to be in readiness 

 to secure the indorsement for National Museum support if needed. This refers 

 to personal contact with }our representatives in Congress or otherwise securing their 

 support. We would urge especially that the scientific societies of the dififerent states 

 be advised of the needs and that their indorsement be secured and likewise that the 

 approval and support be secured from such agricultural bodies as the state horti- 

 cultural societies, agricultural societies, etc. 



We would urge that each one of you take every opportunity to educate the people 

 relative to the importance and needs of the National Museum as a whole for we must 

 build up every branch of the Museum if in future years we are to maintain a normal 

 growth and expansion of the Division of Insects. 



Third: Deposition of Types in the U. S. National Museum. Your committee 

 feels that the National Museum should be the mecca for taxonomic entomological 

 activity in the United States and would urge that entomologists make it a point 

 to deposit types in the Museum. We would urge state institutions to likewise place 

 the types, now in their collections, in the custody of the National Museum. This is 

 already being done by certain institutions. Thus the type collections of the Connecti- 

 cut Agricultural College, Colorado Agricultural College, Kansas Agricultural College, 

 The Norton Collection at Yale, and othcx-s, will all probably .soon be in the National 

 Museum. We cannot urge too strongly that other institutions and individuals 



