﻿EEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECEETARY 
  33 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May, 
  1928, 
  Paul 
  Bartsch, 
  curator 
  of 
  mollusks, 
  travel- 
  

   ing 
  under 
  the 
  Walter 
  Kathbone 
  Bacon 
  Scholarship, 
  began 
  the 
  faunal 
  

   study 
  of 
  certain 
  groups 
  of 
  land 
  and 
  fresh-water 
  mollusks 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  

   Indies, 
  the 
  work 
  for 
  that 
  season 
  being 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  Cuba, 
  where 
  he 
  

   was 
  assisted 
  materially 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Carlos 
  de 
  la 
  Torre, 
  president 
  emeritus 
  

   of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Habana. 
  During 
  four 
  months 
  Doctor 
  Bartsch 
  

   covered 
  thoroughly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  Provinces 
  of 
  Cuba, 
  except 
  that 
  of 
  

   Oriente, 
  collecting 
  over 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  million 
  specimens 
  of 
  mollusks, 
  

   including 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  new 
  races 
  and 
  species 
  from 
  places 
  hitherto 
  

   unexplored. 
  The 
  rainy 
  season 
  was 
  chosen 
  for 
  this 
  field 
  work 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  its 
  discomforts, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  that 
  land 
  mollusks 
  are 
  most 
  

   active. 
  The 
  collections 
  obtained 
  will 
  yield 
  much 
  information 
  bearing 
  

   on 
  problems 
  of 
  distribution, 
  both 
  present 
  and 
  past, 
  and 
  will 
  throw 
  

   light 
  on 
  the 
  derivation 
  of 
  the 
  molluscan 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Antilles. 
  Inci- 
  

   dentally, 
  Doctor 
  Bartsch 
  secured 
  for 
  the 
  Museum 
  important 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  birds, 
  insects, 
  batrachians, 
  mammals, 
  and 
  Crustacea. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Abbott, 
  A. 
  J. 
  Poole, 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  

   division 
  of 
  mammals, 
  and 
  W. 
  M. 
  Perrygo, 
  of 
  the 
  taxidermist 
  force, 
  

   traveled 
  in 
  Haiti 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  about 
  four 
  months, 
  working 
  the 
  

   caves 
  of 
  Haiti 
  proper 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Gonave 
  for 
  extinct 
  

   animal 
  bones. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  cavern 
  exploration 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  birds 
  to 
  supplement 
  distributional 
  

   data 
  already 
  available, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  obtained 
  also 
  mammals, 
  

   mostly 
  bats, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  fishes, 
  reptiles, 
  marine 
  invertebrates, 
  mollusks, 
  

   insects, 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  ethnological 
  and 
  anthropological 
  materials. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  expeditions 
  undertaken 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  by 
  

   friends 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  auxiliary 
  yacht 
  Mary 
  Piiichot 
  

   to 
  the 
  South 
  Seas 
  under 
  the 
  leadership 
  of 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Gilford 
  Pinchot. 
  

   The 
  vessel 
  left 
  New 
  York 
  City 
  in 
  April 
  for 
  a 
  cruise 
  of 
  about 
  10 
  

   months, 
  with 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  K. 
  Fisher, 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  as 
  natural- 
  

   ist, 
  to 
  obtain 
  material 
  desired 
  for 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  In 
  the 
  

   collections 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  weeks 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  a 
  

   simll 
  of 
  the 
  little-known 
  long-beaked 
  porpoise 
  ProdelfKinus 
  plagio- 
  

   don 
  and 
  10 
  forms 
  of 
  birds 
  new 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  collections. 
  Further 
  

   shipments 
  of 
  important 
  material 
  are 
  expected 
  as 
  the 
  cruise 
  continues. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Joseph 
  F. 
  Rock, 
  traveling 
  under 
  the 
  auspices 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  

   Geographic 
  Society, 
  visited 
  the 
  Kingdom 
  of 
  Muli, 
  or 
  Mill, 
  in 
  south- 
  

   western 
  Szechwan, 
  China, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  adjacent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  

   of 
  Yunnan, 
  exploring 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  northwest 
  of 
  Muli 
  in 
  the 
  hitherto 
  

   unvisited 
  snow 
  range 
  of 
  Konka 
  Risonquemba, 
  rising 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   25,000 
  feet, 
  and 
  mountains 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  northeast. 
  From 
  this 
  

   work 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  important 
  collections 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  

   plants, 
  the 
  specimens 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  through 
  the 
  

   gift 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society. 
  

  

  