46 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1911. 



fully to the higher peaks, including the ascent of the volcano Chiri- 

 qui, over 11,000 feet high, which had not previously been visited by 

 botanists. The locality was found to be especially rich in ferns, and 

 much valuable material was obtained. Mr. Maxon returned to Wash- 

 ington on April 18. 



Mention has already been made of a visit by Dr. E. A. Mearns, 

 United States Army, Mr. J. H. Riley, of the Museum staff, and Mr. 

 E. J. Brown to the coast of South Carolina near Charleston, a 

 region which, though very interesting ornithologically, has been but 

 poorly represented in the collections of the Museum. In February, 

 1911, Mr. Edmund Heller left Washington to accompany Mr. Paul 

 J. Rainey, of New York, -on an extended hunting expedition to 

 British East Africa and the country immediately to the north of it, 

 Mr. Rainey having generously tendered to the Museum all material 

 of scientific value that is collected. Near the close of the year : Mr. 

 A. C. Bent, of Taunton, Massachusetts, in furtherance of his investi- 

 gations relative to the life histories of North American birds, started 

 with a party of assistants for the Aleutian Islands and other locali- 

 ties in Alaska. Among other private expeditions during the year 

 by which the Museum has been especially benefited may be mentioned 

 the work of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur de C. Sowerby, in the Province of 

 Shan-si, China ; the hunting trip of Mr. John J. White, of Washing- 

 ton, to British East Africa, through which a number of interesting 

 mammals were secured; and the journey of Mr. Harry V. Radford, 

 of New York, into the home of the wood bison in the almost un- 

 known region of northwestern Canada, west of the Slave River and 

 north of the lower Peace. This exploration, made in 1909 and 1910, 

 and including track surveys over many hundreds of miles, furnished 

 Mr. Radford the opportunity of closely studying the wood bison in 

 its haunts, and of making the first recorded observations on this 

 rare animal in life. Eighteen individuals were seen, and, under a 

 permit from the Canadian Government, one was killed. It weighed 

 2,402 pounds, and both the skin and skeleton were preserved. The 

 former was presented by Mr. Radford to the Provincial Museum at 

 Edmonton, Alberta, while the skeleton was obtained for the National 

 Museum at a moderate cost. 



Preparation of specimens. — In view of the exceptional amount of 

 work involved in preparing material for the exhibition halls, it be- 

 came necessary to materially increase the staff of taxidermists at 

 the beginning of the year, and excellent progress was made in all 

 matters relating to this subject. Under the immediate supervision 

 of the chief taxidermist about 30 mammals, chiefly from the collec- 

 tion of the Smithsonian African Expedition, were mounted. Seven- 

 teen of these were of medium to large size, consisting of an African 

 buffalo, five lions, a leopard, a jaguar, a Grant's gazelle, a thar, a 



