PROCEEDINGS OP REGENTS. 123 



National Zoological Park. — The latest action in the proceedings 

 for acquiring land between the park and Connecticut Avenue was 

 the decision of the court on January 28, 1916, setting aside all re- 

 maining benefits assessed against neighboring property. The valua- 

 tion of the land to be taken and the cost of the proceedings together 

 made a total of $196,641.13, the sum required for the purchase of 

 the land. The appropriation of $107,200 originally made having 

 lapsed, and efforts to have the necessary appropriation made at the 

 last session of Congress having failed, an item for the sum required 

 has been submitted in the estimates for 1918, with a clause to make 

 it a continuing appropriation. 



Cooperating with the New York Zoological Park and the Phila- 

 delphia Zoological Garden, the park agreed early in the summer to 

 share in the expense of sending an experienced man to South Africa 

 for animals, the supply through the usual animal dealers having been 

 almost entirely cut off. Advices just received from him indicate 

 that he is having much success in securing animals, especially from 

 the zoological gardens there, which also are anxious to arrange for 

 exchange with similar institutions in this countrj''. The relations 

 established by this means with the zoological gardens and naturalists 

 of South Africa are likely to be very valuable in the future. 



On November 1, 1916, Mr. Ned Hollister, for several years assist- 

 ant curator of mammals in the United States National Museum, was 

 appointed superintendent of the National Zoological Park to succeed 

 Dr. Frank Baker, resigiied. 



AstrophysJcal Ohservatory loork on Mount Wilson, 1916. — Messrs. 

 Abbot and Aldrich occupied the Smithsonian observing station on 

 Mount Wilson, California, from June to October, 1916, inclusive, con- 

 tinuing the series of observations of the solar radiation in order to 

 follow the variations of the sun. 



Despite much unfavorable weather, very satisfactory results were 

 obtained along several lines. From numerous experiments it is indi- 

 cated that the solar radiation, as in 1915, was decidedly higher dur- 

 ing 1916 than during the sun-spot minimum period which culminated 

 in 1913. 



The new vacuum bolometer and stellite mirrors were introduced i)i 

 the spectroscope, and a long series of careful determinations was 

 made to determine the transmission of the spectroscope in this form. 

 This new vacuum bolometer is about 20 times as sensitive as its 

 predecessor. 



Many experiments were made with the new instrument, the pyra- 

 nometer, on the light of the sky. A new method of determining the 

 solar variation by aid of the pyranometer is being tried, which, if 

 successful, may enable many observers, not able to undertake the ex- 



