42 EEPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1912. 



Jimgersen, of the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark; and 

 Dr. J. Schmidt, of the Carlsberg Laboratorium, also at Copenhagen. 



Insects. — The most extensive and important additions of the year 

 were received from the Bureau of Entomology of the Department of 

 Agriculture, and comprised over 10,000 specimens obtained during 

 field work in connection with the biological survey of the Panama 

 Canal Zone, besides some 2,000 specimens, including the types of 

 several new species, from various other localities. Parasitic hymen- 

 optera were represented in three donations. The first, from Mr. J. P. 

 Kryger, of Gjentofte, Denmark, contained about 1,800 specimens; 

 the second, from Mr. L. C. Coleman, of Bangalore, India, about 200 

 sjDecimens from the Province of Mysore; and the third, from Mr. 

 F. W. Urich, of Trinidad, West Indies, several hundred specimens 

 from Mexico. In the latter two collections were a number of types 

 of new species. Nearly 400 weevils, a part of the collection on which 

 the Biologia Centrali-Americana is based, were received from Messrs. 

 Godman and Salvin, of London, England, through Mr. G. C. 

 Champion ; and several hundred Peruvian butterflies were presented 

 by Mr. C. H. T. Townsend, of Piura, Peru. 



The reserve collections have been maintained in excellent preserva- 

 tion, and, notwithstanding the small number of skilled preparators 

 employed, considerable progress was made in transferring material 

 to the new standard cases. The most satisfactory advance in this 

 respect has been made with the orders Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, 

 Odonata, and Hemiptera. The adoption of a new system of in- 

 stalling the small forms of Hymenoptera greatly facilitates their 

 transfer and their subsequent handling for the insertion of additional 

 specimens. Instead of mounting directly in the drawers of standard 

 size, the specimens are pinned in uniform small cork-lined trays 

 which are arranged in the drawers and can be separately removed. 



No extended researches were conducted by membere of the staff 

 of the division, but a number of short papers were prepared and 

 published, as noted in the bibliography. Most of the entomologists 

 who attended the Washington meeting in December, 1911, of the 

 xlmerican Association for the Advancement of Science and its affili- 

 ated societies, the Association of Economic Entomologists and the 

 Entomological Society of America, visited the division, and the col- 

 lections were also consulted at various times by several specialists, 

 including Mr. A. B. Gahan, of College Park, Md. ; Mr. J. A. G. Rehn 

 and Mr. Morgan Hebard, of Philadelphia ; Mr. C. W. Johnson, of the 

 Boston Society of Natural Plistory; and Mr. William T. Davis and 

 Mr. C. W. Leng, of New Brighton, N. Y. Nearly 7,000 specimens 

 were lent to 25 specialists for study and identification, the principal 

 sendings consisting of Homoptera supplied to Prof. C. F. Baker, of 

 Pomona College, Claremont, Cal. ; Coleoptera, to M. Ernest Olivier, 



