14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 125 
found thought before the decision is made to remove an animal from 
the wild. Medically useful primates must be bred in captivity in 
sufficient numbers so that the cause of scientific conservation is not 
imperilled by the extravagant demands of a sister science. 
Primate Biology at the Smithsonian 
This recently inaugurated primatology program has a single, clear 
purpose: To foster the development of primate biology as a scientific 
endeavor on an international scale. It is to be hoped that this new 
program will play a central and a catalytic role in the rapidly expanding 
field of primatology by encouraging basic research, particularly in 
systematics, and promoting educational programs in the universities, 
particularly those closely associated with centers of primate research. 
The Primate Biology Program is planned as an international 
facility having, in the first instance, two offices, one in Washington, 
D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution, and one, in London, England, 
with close affiliations to the University of London. For geograph- 
ical and other practical reasons it is likely that the program emphasis 
will differ somewhat between the two centers; for instance, the 
magnificent collections, the preparation and storage facilities of the 
U.S. National Museum, and the proximity of other major museum 
collections would favor Washington as the locus of systematics 
research. On the other hand, the close association of the London office 
with the University of London will facilitate the development of this 
center as a locus of undergraduate teaching. Graduate training pro- 
grams would be located in both centers; however, it is not envisaged 
that the various projects will be divided between the two centers so 
much as shared between them. Each will contribute to the total 
program as its native talents and material resources dictate. A regular 
exchange of students and professional staff between London and 
Washington wil do much to foster the principle of unity. 
The following section constitutes a working plan that embodies a 
research and education program of considerable magnitude and 
breadth. It is not anticipated that all the projects will develop 
simultaneously; indeed, it may be several years before some of them 
can be initiated. 
Research Program 
Certain aspects of primate biology such as systematics and nomen- 
clature, anatomy and physiology, evolution, zoogeography and 
population dynamics, free-ranging behavior and ecology, and base-line 
data on the ecology of captivity are in urgent need of development. 
These problems are the basic requirements of research workers who, 
in the design stage of their experiments, must ask themselves a series 
