10 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1948 
International Exchanges—The Smithsonian International Ex- 
change Service is the official United States agency for the interchange 
of governmental and scientific publications between this country and 
the other nations of the earth. The number of packages handled by 
the Service during the year was 760,119, with a total weight of 812,189 
pounds. These totals represent an increase over last year of 56,521 
packages and 38,214 pounds. The first shipments of exchange pub- 
lications to Japan since the war were made this year. Consignments 
are now sent to all countries except Rumania, and negotiations are 
in progress for resumption of exchange relations with that country. 
The Exchange Service now sends abroad 94 sets of United States offi- 
cial publications, 73 copies of the Federal Register, and 66 copies of 
the Congressional Record, in return for similar material received from 
other nations. 
National Zoological Park.—The year was a satisfactory one at the 
Park in that a number of unusually interesting animals were received, 
progress was made in recruiting personnel for the organization, and 
various repairs and minor improvements were made to buildings and 
grounds. The chief needs of the Zoo are more maintenance funds 
and new buildings to replace the remaining antiquated unsuitable 
structures built many years ago. The year’s visitors reached a total 
of 3,040,540, an increase of more than 300,000 over the previous year’s 
figure. The number of groups coming to the Zoo from schools was 
1,454, comprising 79,249 individual students. These groups came 
from 27 different States, the most distant being Maine, Texas, and 
Wisconsin. ‘The total number of animals in the collection at the close 
of the year was 2,797, representing 690 different species of mammals, 
birds, reptiles, and other forms. Among the exceptionally interest- 
ing animals received during the year were three species of penguins, 
a monkey-eating eagle, Mindanao tarsiers, and an Arctic fox. 
Astrophysical Observatory—W. H. Hoover was promoted to be 
Chief of the Division of Astrophysical Research. Dr. Earl 8. John- 
ston, Chief of the Division of Radiation and Organisms, who has been 
responsible for the recent development of the Division, died during 
the year. He will be succeeded by Dr. Robert B. Withrow, of Purdue 
University. 
The field stations at Montezuma, Chile, and Table Mountain, Calif., 
continued regular solar observations, and the values were checked and 
tabulated in Washington. The sun and sky radiation studies con- 
ducted for 2 years at Camp Lee, Va., under contract with the Office 
of the Quartermaster General, were terminated, but similar studies 
will go on at the Montezuma and Miami, Fla., stations. 
During a search for the best possible site for a new high-altitude 
station, promising sites were located in Mexico, southern California, 
and the Hawaiian Islands. Instruments were installed at each of 
