REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 39 



A third expedition in China, from which the National Museum is 

 expected to derive great benefit, is that of the National Geographic 

 Society, under the leadership of Mr. Frederick R. Wulsin who is 

 already in the field. 



In this connection should be mentioned the activities of Rev. D. C. 

 Graham, who, located at Suifu in the Province of Szechuen, China, 

 undertook an expedition to Mount Omei, from which the Museum 

 received very important collections, especially insects, birds, and rep- 

 tiles. He is planning to make an expedition to Tatsienlu, and pos- 

 sibly to Mupin, during the present summer, both localities of great 

 zoological interest. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott revisited the Dominican Republic in February 

 and March, 1923, continuing his biological explorations of. recent 

 years. As his permit to collect birds was delayed until he was about 

 to leave the country he only obtained the skin of one bird and saved 

 its body in alcohol. His collections of reptiles and amphibians, 

 however, were highly important, obtaining as he did a new species 

 of frog, recently described by Miss Cochran as Leptodactylus abhotti 

 from the specimen collected by him. It is nearly related to the one 

 from Porto Rico and establishes the genus as one definitely belong- 

 ing to the Antillean fauna. He also collected about 600 plants in 

 the southern part of the Samana Peninsula, which will doubtless 

 prove as interesting as the previous collections obtained in the same 

 region by Doctor Abbott, which have yielded a large number of new 

 species. 



In connection with the heredity experiments conducted by Dr. 

 Paul Bartsch, under the joint auspices of the Smithsonian and Carne- 

 gie Institutions, it was found desirable to add several species of 

 Cerions in order to exhaust the apparent possibilities that this group 

 presents. For that reason Doctor Bartsch visited Porto Rico in 

 May, obtaining a large number of specimens of the desired Cerion, 

 as well as a large series of additional species. About 15,000 speci- 

 mens were added to the Museum collection as the result of the trip. 



Dr. Hugh M. Smith, associate curator in zoology, spent several 

 months in South America, primarily for the study of the fur-seal 

 and other fisheries of Uruguay, during which time he made extensive 

 collections for the Museum in all branches, especially fishes, reptiles, 

 and marine invertebrates. He sailed from New York on September 

 23, 1922, returning in January, 1923. The opportunity to collect 

 in Brazil when the steamer stopped was improved, but the main 

 collections were made in Uruguay, especially at the Lobos Islands. 

 The collections form a most welcome addition to the Museum series, 

 which were very deficient in material from the region visited. 



During the spring of 1923 Mr. C. R. Aschemeier, one of the taxi- 

 dermists, was given permission to accompany Mr. A. H. Fisher on an 

 expedition to the lower Amazon River, Brazil, the understanding 



