98 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 
insects were deposited by the Bureau of Entomology, and important collections 
of hymenoptera were presented by Mr. S. A. Rohwer and Mr. P. R. Myers. 
An especially noteworthy accession consisted of the collection of mollusks 
made in Alaska by Dr. William H. Dall while in the field for the ‘United 
States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and later for the United States Geological 
Survey, between 1871 and 1899. It comprises about 15,000 lots and 50,000 
specimens, and is undoubtedly the largest collection of the shells of moderate 
depths of water that has ever been assembled from that region. Another 
extensive contribution of mollusks, consisting of many thousands of Japanese 
specimens, was obtained from the Imperial University of Tokyo. Important 
type collections, recently described, of isopod crustaceans, medusx, hydroids, 
and siphonophores, from explorations by the steamer Albatross in the Pacific 
Ocean and at the Philippine Islands, were transferred by the Bureau of 
Fisheries. Decapod crustaceans, representing a large number of species, were 
received from the Indian Museum at Calcutta; many isopods from several 
French explorations, including the Charcot expedition to the Antarctic Ocean, 
were obtained from the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle at Paris; and an inter- 
esting series of recent crinoids was secured from the Zoological Museum at 
Copenhagen. 
The collection of plants was increased by over 38,000 specimens, of which 
the largest contributions were from the biological survey of the Panama Canal 
Zone and the Department of Agriculture, though many specimens were obtained 
from the Bureau of Fisheries, and by gift and exchange. On the biological 
survey of the Canal Zone, which is being carried on under the auspices of the 
Smithsonian Institution, the Museum was represented during the year by one 
member of its staff, Mr. W. R. Maxon, assistant curator of plants. Mr. Maxon 
spent about two and one-half months in the field, working in conjunction with 
Mr. Henry Pittier, who is in charge of the botanical investigations, and in 
view of the richness of the region the exploration yielded exceedingly important 
results. Dr. J. N. Rose, associate curator of plants, and Dr. Paul Bartsch, 
assistant curator of mollusks, were members of an expedition by the Bureau 
of Fisheries steamer Albatross, which visited Guadaloupe Island, proceeded 
down the outer coast of Lower California and ascended the Gulf of California 
for a considerable distance. Valuable series of marine animals and of plants 
were secured, the former mostly by means of dredging, the latter during 
stops made along the coast. 
The accessions in geology and mineralogy from the Geological Survey and 
other sources contained much interesting material and a number of type 
specimens. Especially important were several type series of Cambrian fossils 
described by Dr. Charles D. Walcott, and included in the noteworthy discoveries 
resulting from his recent explorations in British Columbia. Investigations in 
Kentucky and Tennessee by Dr. R. S. Bassler and Mr. Frank Springer yielded 
valuable collections of Silurian and Mississippian fossils. In vertebrate 
paleontology the more important additions consisted of mammalian and rep- 
tilian remains obtained in exchange. 
An interesting series of articles of nickel produced by the late Joseph Whar- 
ton, of Philadelphia, who was recognized as the leader in the technology of 
this metal, was received as a donation from the executors of his estate. 
This collection, which had been preserved by Mr. Wharton in a cabinet at his 
home, comprises over 60 pieces, including pure nickel in several forms, harness 
and door trimmings, household utensils, forceps, magnetic needles, coinage 
blanks, ete., and is of much historical value. 
The historical collection was greatly enriched, mainly by loans, and, by 
extending the exhibition space into a second hall, its installation has been much 
