44 REPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1905. 



K. Fisher, Stanford University; Actinians, to Dr. J. E. Duerden, 

 University of Michigan; Stomatopoda, to Dr. R. P. Bigelow; 

 Schizopoda, to Dr. A. E. Ortmann, and Alpheidse, to Dr. H. Coutiere, 

 Paris, France. 



To Mr. Walter K. Fisher, of Stanford University, who has been 

 studying the echinoderms of the Pacific coast and Hawaii, secured 

 during recent expeditions of the Bureau of Fisheries, has been 

 assigned the working up of the entire and very extensive collection 

 of starfishes from the north Pacific Ocean in the possession of the 

 Museum. This material has been derived from many sources, but 

 is mainly the result of the explorations of the steamer Albatross, 

 beginning in 1888. 



In addition to the above, through arrangements made in previous 

 years, the pedate holothurians of the Museum collection are being 

 worked up by Prof. Charles L. Edwards, of Trinity College; the 

 apodal holothurians by Prof. Hubert Lyman (lark, of Olivet College; 

 the hydroids by Prof. C. 0. Nutting, of the University of Iowa; the 

 parasitic copepods by Dr. Charles B. Wilson, of the State Normal 

 School, Westlield, Massachusetts, and the free-swimming copepods 

 by Dr. K. W. Genthe, of Trinity College. 



No investigations in helminthology have been conducted in the 

 Museum, but from the researches in the Marine-Hospital Service 

 by Dr. C. W. Stiles, in the Bureau of Animal Industry by Mr. B. H. 

 Ransom, and elsewhere by others, the collections in this section are 

 being rapidly increased and becoming of exceptional importance. 



The associate curator of the division of plants, Dr. J. N. Pose, in a 

 paper entitled "Studies of Mexican and Central American Plants, 

 Xo. 4," published in the "Contributions from the National Her- 

 barium," has given descriptions of many new species, revisions of 

 several genera, and notes on many rare forms. In conjunction 

 with Dr. N. L. Brit ton, of the New York Botanical Garden, he 

 completed a Revision of the Grassulacese of North America. His 

 researches on the Cactacese have resulted in extensive additions to 

 this branch of the collection, which seems destined to become the 

 largest and richest in the world. The importance of the work on 

 the Grassulacese may be judged by the fact that when the joint 

 authors began upon their investigations 5 native genera and about 

 120 species were recognized as belonging to the flora of North America, 

 while at present the number of genera has been increased to 24 and 

 of species to 283. In the beginning the Museum collection contained 

 only about SO species, and now it has 270 species, of which 115 are 

 represented by actual types. 



Mr. W. R. Maxon, assistant curator, division of plants, has made 

 good progress in the study of the ferns, having prepared and issued 

 several papers on this group. During six months of the year he was 



