﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY. 
  

  

  BOTANICAL 
  EXPEDITION 
  TO 
  THE 
  ORIENT. 
  

  

  As 
  noted 
  in 
  last 
  year's 
  report, 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  S. 
  Hitchcock, 
  custodian 
  of 
  

   the 
  section 
  of 
  grasses 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  visited 
  the 
  Orient 
  

   under 
  the 
  auspices 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  collecting 
  and 
  studying 
  grasses, 
  especially 
  the 
  bamboos. 
  As 
  tht 
  

   specimens 
  collected 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  out 
  

   of 
  place 
  to 
  here 
  mention 
  briefly 
  Doctor 
  Hitchcock's 
  work. 
  The 
  trip 
  

   occupied 
  about 
  eight 
  months, 
  ending 
  in 
  December, 
  1921, 
  and 
  the 
  

   regions 
  visited 
  included 
  the 
  Philippines, 
  Japan, 
  China, 
  and 
  Indo- 
  

   China 
  . 
  

  

  Japan 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  collecting 
  of 
  grasses, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   mostly 
  a 
  forested 
  region 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  comparatively 
  little 
  open 
  coun- 
  

   try. 
  The 
  bamboos 
  were 
  of 
  interest, 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  species. 
  In 
  

   the 
  Lake 
  Hakone 
  region 
  the 
  hills 
  were 
  covered 
  for 
  miles 
  with 
  a 
  

   single 
  species 
  of 
  bamboo 
  (Arundinaria 
  chino), 
  4 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  high, 
  often 
  

   to 
  the 
  exclusion 
  of 
  everything 
  else. 
  

  

  China, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  was 
  very 
  rich 
  in 
  grasses. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   surprises 
  of 
  the 
  trip 
  was 
  to 
  find 
  so 
  much 
  open 
  grass 
  land 
  in 
  a 
  country 
  

   that 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  thickly 
  populated. 
  The 
  cities 
  of 
  China 
  are 
  

   very 
  much 
  crowded 
  and 
  the 
  valley 
  lands 
  are 
  intensively 
  cultivated, 
  

   but 
  the 
  hills 
  are 
  unoccupied 
  and 
  almost 
  unused. 
  This 
  is 
  in 
  striking 
  

   contrast 
  to 
  our 
  own 
  western 
  regions 
  where, 
  except 
  in 
  national 
  forests 
  

   and 
  other 
  protected 
  areas, 
  the 
  grass 
  lands 
  are 
  extensively 
  grazed. 
  

   The 
  basic 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  condition 
  in 
  China 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  risk 
  

   from 
  bandits. 
  The 
  valley 
  lands 
  can 
  be 
  protected 
  but 
  the 
  hills 
  are 
  

   open 
  to 
  the 
  attack 
  of 
  robbers. 
  

  

  The 
  expendition 
  was 
  very 
  successful, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  valuable 
  col- 
  

   lection 
  of 
  grasses 
  was 
  brought 
  back. 
  The 
  technical 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  

   work 
  will 
  be 
  published 
  later 
  by 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  or 
  the 
  

   National 
  Herbarium 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  AUSTRALIAN 
  EXPEDITION. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  generosity 
  of 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Abbott, 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  M. 
  Hoy 
  

   continued 
  his 
  work 
  of 
  collecting 
  for 
  the 
  Museum 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  

   very 
  interesting 
  fauna 
  of 
  Australia. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  terminated 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Hoy 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  in 
  May, 
  

   1922. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  expedition 
  are 
  of 
  especial 
  value 
  for 
  two 
  

   reasons 
  : 
  First, 
  the 
  Australian 
  fauna 
  has 
  heretofore 
  been 
  but 
  scantily 
  

   represented 
  in 
  the 
  Museum, 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  remarkable 
  fauna 
  of 
  

   that 
  continent 
  is 
  rapidly 
  being 
  exterminated 
  through 
  various 
  causes. 
  

   The 
  specimens 
  received 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  bring 
  the 
  total 
  up 
  to 
  1,179 
  

   mammals, 
  including 
  series 
  of 
  skeletal 
  and 
  embryological 
  material; 
  

   928 
  birds, 
  with 
  41 
  additional 
  examples 
  in 
  alcohol 
  ; 
  and 
  smaller 
  collec 
  

   tions 
  of 
  reptiles, 
  amphibians, 
  insects, 
  marine 
  specimens, 
  etc. 
  

  

  