126 ANNUAL EEPOKT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1915. 



conducting this expedition, left Borneo in June, 1914, crossing with 

 his native boat and crew to Celebes. 



In addition to the gifts already mentioned, Dr. Abbott has sup- 

 plied Mr. Eaven directly with ammunition and supplies and with 

 funds aggregating between $500 and $1,000. Much valuable material 

 has been received from Borneo and the work in Celebes is expected 

 to prove of great interest. 



Biological work in north China. — At the last meeting mention was 

 made of the work being carried on in north China by Mr. A. de C. 

 Sowerby through the liberality of a gentleman who desired to re- 

 main unlmown. There has been no change in this condition. Mr. 

 Sowerby has already sent numerous valuable specimens to the Mu- 

 seum and other collections are understood to be nearly ready for 

 shipment. 



British Colurnbia and Montana. — The Secretary continued the work 

 of exploration among the fossil beds of British Columbia inaugu- 

 rated some years ago, and extended the work to Montana. 



A week was spent in measuring and recording the flow of two 

 glaciers near Glacier, British Columbia, before beginning the meas- 

 urement of sections and the collecting of fossil remains in the very 

 ancient pre-Paleozoic rocks of central Montana. 



In Montana a camp was established in July and field work con- 

 tinued until a heavy snow storm closed the season early in October. 

 A number of great sections of bedded rocks were studied and meas- 

 ured. Large collections were made from the limestones, that in- 

 clude the oldest and most simple forms of life yet recorded in the 

 early history of the earth. They are mainly algal deposits that may 

 be compared with those now being made in fresh-water lakes and 

 streams by the beautiful blue-green algae. 



At the secretary's request. Dr. Albert Mann, the distinguished 

 microscopist, began a search for microscopic organisms in thin, 

 translucent sections of the algal deposits. He has discovered the 

 remains of two types of bacteria in great abundance. These, in 

 connection with the microscopic cells of the algae, furnish positive 

 proof of the organic origin of the limestones in a period that hereto- 

 fore had furnished no evidence of such life. 



Solar radiation. — Observations have been continued on Mount 

 Wilson, Cal., for the purpose of observing the variability of the 

 sun, and of confirming the newly discovered relationship between 

 the variation of the total heat of the sun and the variation of the 

 distribution of its light over the solar surface. Computations of 

 the results are now in progress, and it is hoped very soon to make a 

 satisfactory confirmation of this discovery. 



Mr. Aldrich, in cooperation with the United States Weather 

 Bureau, sent up several sounding balloons with apparatus attached 



