194 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1959 
In connection with the research on tropical birds now being con- 
ducted by George W. Cox of the University of Illinois, two large 
constant-temperature chambers were built and installed in the new 
storage shed. These chambers were financed by a grant from the 
National Science Foundation to Dr. S. Charles Kendeigh of the 
University of Illinois. 
Various minor items of research and collecting equipment, includ- 
ing traps and trapping nets, and a Sniperscope for work at night, 
were also procured this year. 
A new system of electric cables from the generators to the labora- 
tories and living quarters on the island was installed, to permit the 
simultaneous use of two generators. This has doubled the effective 
electric power supply of the station. 
A new winch, 25-h.p., 3,300-pound capacity, was purchased and in- 
stalled to replace the old one. 
Extensive repairs, almost a complete rebuilding job, are being made 
to the termite-infested Chapman House. This should provide ade- 
quate living quarters for three or four scientists. 
Routine maintenance activities included repainting the inside and 
outside of most of the other station buildings, minor repairs to the 
docks, and new roofing for some of the buildings. 
A new 15-foot Fiberglas boat was bought to replace the old alu- 
minum speedboat, and extensive repairs were made to the launch 
Snook. The old boat channel from the canal to the station dock on 
the island was widened and deepened. Means of transportation with 
the mainland are now in excellent condition. 
A jeep was purchased to replace the 14-ton truck and has proved to 
be extremely useful for work in the more remote parts of the Canal 
Zone and the Republic of Panama. 
It was necessary to move the office in Diablo Heights, as the build- 
ing in which it was located is being torn down. The oflice is now in 
temporary quarters in the Ancon Court House. 
OTHER ACTIVITIES 
In order to increase the available opportunities for research at the 
Canal Zone Biological Area, a small piece of land (one-sixteenth of 
a square mile) was procured on the mainland. This new area con- 
sists of grassland and forest edge and is located inside the Navy 
Pipeline Reservation between Gamboa and Montelirio on the east side 
of the canal. The Navy also granted permission to accredited scien- 
tists to work along the 14-mile road running through the Pipeline 
Reservation. This road runs through areas of mixed grassland and 
second-growth scrub and forest of different ages and types. Thus, 
scientists working at the Canal Zone Biological Area will be able to 
conduct research in a variety of environments quite different from the 
