28 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 



insects were deposited by the Bureau of Entomology, and important collections 

 of hymenoptera were presented by Mr. S. A. Rohwer and Mr. P. R. Myers. 



An especially noteworthy accession consisted of the collection of mollusks 

 made in Alaska by Dr. William H. Dall while in the field for the United 

 States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and later for the United States Geological 

 Survey, between 1871 and 1899. It comprises about 15,000 lots and 50,000 

 specimens, and is undoubtedly the largest collection of the shells of moderate 

 depths of water that has ever been assembled from that region. Another 

 extensive contribution of mollusks, consisting of many thousands of Japanese 

 specimens, was obtained from the Imperial University of Tokyo. Important 

 type collections, recently described, of isopod crustaceans, medusae, hydroids, 

 and siphonophores, from explorations by the steamer Albatross in the Pacific 

 Ocean and at the Philippine Islands, were transferred by the Bureau of 

 Fisheries. Decapod crustaceans, representing a large number of species, were 

 received from the Indian Museum at Calcutta ; many isopods from several 

 French explorations, including the Charcot expedition to the Antarctic Ocean, 

 were obtained from the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle at Paris; and an inter- 

 esting series of recent crinoids was secured from' the Zoological Museum at 

 Copenhagen. 



The collection of plants was increased by over 38,000 specimens, of which 

 the largest contributions were from the biological survey of the Panama Canal 

 Zone and the Department of Agriculture, though many specimens were obtained 

 from the Bureau of Fisheries, and by gift and exchange. On the biological 

 survey of the Canal Zone, which is being carried on, under the auspices of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, the Museum was represented during the year by one 

 member of its staff, Mr. W. R. Maxon, assistant curator of plants. Mr. Maxon 

 spent about two and one-half months in the field, working in conjunction with 

 Mr. Henry Pittier, who is in charge of the botanical investigations, and in 

 view of the richness of the region the exploration yielded exceedingly important 

 results. Dr. J. N. Rose, associate curator of plants, and Dr. Paul Bartsch, 

 assistant curator of mollusks, were members of an expedition by the Bureau 

 of Fisheries steamer Albatross, which visited Guadaloupe Island, proceeded 

 down the outer coast of Lower California and ascended the Gulf of California 

 for a considerable distance. Valuable series of marine animals and of plants 

 were secured, the former mostly by means of dredging, the latter during 

 stops made along the coast. 



The accessions in geology and mineralogy from the Geological Survey and 

 other sources contained much interesting material and a number of type 

 specimens. Especially important were several type series of Cambrian fossils 

 described by Dr. Charles D. Walcott, and included in the noteworthy discoveries 

 resulting from his recent explorations in British Columbia. Investigations in 

 Kentucky and Tennessee by Dr. R. S. Bassler and Mr. Frank Springer yielded 

 valuable collections of Silurian and Mississippian fossils. In vertebrate 

 paleontology the more important additions consisted of mammalian and rep- 

 tilian remains obtained in exchange. 



An interesting series of articles of nickel produced by the late Joseph Whar- 

 ton, of Philadelphia, who was recognized as the leader in the technology of 

 this metal, was received as a donation from the executors of his estate. 

 This collection, which had been preserved by Mr. Wharton in a cabinet at his 

 home, comprises over 60 pieces, including pure nickel in several forms, harness 

 and door trimmings, household utensils, forceps, magnetic needles, coinage 

 blanks, etc., and is of much historical value. 



The historical collection was greatly enriched, mainly by loans, and, by 

 extending the exhibition space into a second hall, its installation has been much 



