REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 7 



of crinoids and cystids were found, a number of them having, as is 

 rarely the case, root, stem, and crown preserved. 



VERTEBRATE FOSSILS IN MONTANA. 



Through cooperation with one of the field parties of the United 

 States Geological Survey, Mr. Charles W. Gilmore, of the National 

 Museum, spent three weeks during the summer of 1914 searching for 

 fossil vertebrate remains in the Judith River formation in north 

 central Montana. The most noteworthy discovery was the fragmen- 

 tary remains of a fossil bird related to Hesperornis. It came from 

 practically the same locality as the type of Coniornis alius Marsh, 

 and is of importance as showing these bird remains as occurring in 

 the upper part of the Claggett formation, whereas heretofore it was 

 thought that Coniornis had come from the lower part of the Judith 

 Eiver formation. 



CORAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



Dr. T. Wayland Vaughan has for some time been engaged under 

 the auspices of the Carnegie Institution in a study of the growth of 

 corals, their role in reef building, and related problems. His field 

 of investigation has been chiefly the coast of Florida, the Bahamas, 

 and other regions of the West Indies. Large collections made by 

 him in those localities have been received by the Museum. 



BORNEO AND CELEBES EXPEDITIONS. 



Through the generosity of Dr. W. L. Abbott, who for so many 

 years has been a most generous contributor to the zoological and 

 ethnological collections of the Museum, Mr. H, C. Raven conducted a 

 collecting expedition in Borneo for a period of about two years. His 

 work there was completed in September, 1914, having yielded about 

 3,000 interesting specimens of mammals and birds. Mr. Raven next 

 crossed the Macassar Strait to the Island of Celebes, where he ex- 

 pects to remain for a considerable period and to secure important 

 collections from a region heretofore poorly represented in the Na- 

 tional Museum. 



EXPEDITIONS TO THE FAR EAST. 



Through the liberality of a gentleman who desired to remain un- 

 known, Mr. Arthur de C. Sowerby has continued his zoological ex- 

 plorations in Manchuria and northeastern China and has forw^arded 

 a valuable collection of insects and vertebrates, including two wapiti 

 bucks, a roe deer, two bears, and a peculiar rabbit. 



Mr. Copley Amory, jr., a collaborator of the National Museum, 

 joined a party accompanying Capt. J. Koren to the northeast coast 



