REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1910. 43 
tion: Mammals, both large and small, 4,897; birds, about 4,000; 
reptiles and batrachians, about 2,000; fishes, about 500; making the 
total number of vertebrates about 11,397. The invertebrates include 
insects; marine, land, and fresh-water mollusks; crustaceans; and 
representatives of other groups. Several thousand plants were also 
collected and a few anthropological objects. 
It may be remarked that through this expedition the National 
Museum has acquired a series of the large and small mammals of 
east Africa, which, collectively, is probably more valuable than is 
to be found in any other museum in the world. Its importance lies 
not so much in the number of new forms as in the fact that it affords 
an adequate basis for a critical study of the mammal fauna of east 
Africa and the establishment or rejection of the large number of 
forms which have been described, especially in recent years, from 
insufficient material. The collection of birds is also noteworthy; 
the plants should form the basis of a valuable report; the reptiles 
and batrachians include large series of individuals of the same species, 
and will be useful for studies of variation; and other parts of the 
collection contain groups of specimens and single specimens of much 
interest. 
Mr. Owen Bryant, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, announced, in the 
winter of 1908-9, his intention of spending a year or more in Java, 
and offered, in case the Museum would detail a naturalist to accom- 
pany him, to turn over to the Museum half of such collections as 
might be obtained. In accepting this proposition, Mr. William 
Palmer was assigned to the service and left Washington in January, 
1909. Field work was carried on until last spring, and at the close 
of the year both naturalists were on their way home. The collections, 
which are elsewhere referred to and are important, were mainly 
obtained at the western end of Java, about Buitenzorg and on Mount 
Gede and other mountains. The series of mammals and birds, 
which are the most extensive, are of great interest for comparison 
with east Indian and Philippine specimens contributed by Dr. W. L. 
Abbott and Dr. E. A. Mearns. 
The only considerable biological expedition sent out by the Museum 
itself was a botanical one under Dr. J. N. Rose, who was accom- 
panied by Mr. P. C. Standley and Mr. P. G. Russell. This party was 
absent 10 weeks, during which it visited western Texas, southern 
New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and western Mexico, and made a 
very important collection of plants, comprising about 10,000 speci- 
mens, including representatives of many undescribed species. The 
head curator, Dr. True, spent a few weeks in collecting vertebrate 
remains from the shell heaps in the vicinity of Penobscot Bay, Maine, 
and secured material which, taken in connection with that obtained 
