﻿REPORT 
  OP 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  11 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  Blue 
  Mountain 
  region 
  of 
  Jamaica. 
  This 
  expedition, 
  made 
  

   possible 
  through 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Association 
  for 
  

   the 
  Advancement 
  of 
  Science, 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Botanical 
  Garden, 
  and 
  

   the 
  United 
  Fruit 
  Co., 
  had 
  for 
  its 
  specific 
  object 
  the 
  collecting 
  of 
  

   material 
  needed 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  ferns 
  of 
  

   Jamaica. 
  The 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  study 
  is 
  thus 
  explained 
  by 
  Doctor 
  

   Maxon 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  ferns 
  of 
  Jamaica 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  described 
  from 
  the 
  New 
  

   World, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  the 
  names 
  originally 
  given 
  them 
  came 
  later 
  to 
  

   be 
  applied 
  loosely 
  to 
  related 
  but 
  distinct 
  kinds 
  from 
  other 
  regions, 
  with 
  much 
  

   resulting 
  confusion. 
  To 
  afford 
  a 
  proper 
  basis 
  for 
  studying 
  the 
  diverse 
  fern 
  

   floras 
  of 
  tropical 
  America 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  it 
  thus 
  becomes 
  of 
  prime 
  importance 
  

   to 
  know 
  thoroughly 
  that 
  of 
  Jamaica, 
  an 
  end 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  attained, 
  naturally, 
  

   only 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  adequate 
  material. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  500 
  species 
  of 
  ferns 
  and 
  fern 
  allies 
  described 
  or 
  known 
  from 
  Jamaica, 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  recent 
  large 
  collections 
  brought 
  to 
  American 
  herbaria 
  

   from 
  that 
  island 
  ; 
  yet 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  collected 
  by 
  Sir 
  Hans 
  Sloane 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  seventeenth 
  century, 
  and 
  by 
  Swartz 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  

   later, 
  that 
  still 
  are 
  known 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  siiecimens 
  preserved 
  in 
  

   European 
  museums. 
  Present 
  field 
  work 
  is 
  concerned 
  tlierefore 
  in 
  the 
  re- 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  these 
  " 
  lost 
  " 
  species 
  and 
  of 
  other 
  very 
  rare 
  ones 
  described 
  

   more 
  recently, 
  but 
  equally 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  new 
  kinds, 
  and 
  in 
  assembling 
  

   data 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  distribution, 
  characteristic 
  habitats, 
  habits 
  of 
  growth, 
  and 
  

   interrelationship 
  of 
  those 
  other 
  species 
  that 
  are 
  comparatively 
  well 
  known. 
  

  

  In 
  all, 
  some 
  15,000 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected, 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  assistance 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  monograph 
  

   of 
  the 
  ferns 
  of 
  Jamaica. 
  

  

  ARCHEOLOGICAL 
  WORK 
  IN 
  CHINA 
  

  

  An 
  archeological 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Feng 
  River 
  Valley, 
  southern 
  

   Shansi, 
  China, 
  was 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  1926 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Chi 
  Li, 
  of 
  the 
  Freer 
  Gallery 
  of 
  Art 
  Expedition 
  to 
  China. 
  Carrying 
  

   letters 
  of 
  introduction 
  to 
  the 
  governor 
  of 
  Shansi 
  and 
  other 
  influ- 
  

   ential 
  officials, 
  and 
  accompanied 
  by 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  L. 
  Yilan, 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Survey 
  of 
  China, 
  Dr. 
  Chi 
  Li 
  began 
  his 
  trip 
  at 
  T'ai-yiian. 
  

  

  Ancient 
  temples, 
  embellished 
  with 
  iron 
  and 
  stone 
  images, 
  tombs 
  

   of 
  emperors 
  whose 
  deeds 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  haze 
  of 
  tradition, 
  and 
  

   mounds 
  of 
  prehistoric 
  potteries 
  were 
  found, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  promise 
  a 
  

   rich 
  field 
  to 
  the 
  archeologist. 
  An 
  excerpt 
  from 
  Doctor 
  Li's 
  report 
  

   gives 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  fascinating 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  exploration. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  19th 
  we 
  set 
  out 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  supposed 
  tomb 
  of 
  the 
  Emperor 
  Shun, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  way 
  stopped 
  at 
  certain 
  temples 
  in 
  Yiin-ch'eng. 
  In 
  Shansi- 
  funff-chih, 
  it 
  

   is 
  recorded 
  that 
  the 
  stone 
  pillars 
  of 
  these 
  temples 
  were 
  formerly 
  the 
  palace 
  

   pillars 
  of 
  Wei 
  Hui-wang 
  (335-370 
  A. 
  D.), 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  ruined 
  city 
  

   south 
  of 
  An-i 
  Jasien. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  now 
  used 
  as 
  the 
  entrance 
  pillars 
  in 
  

   Ch'en-huang 
  Miao 
  and 
  Hou-t'u 
  Miao, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  Ch'en-huang 
  Miao 
  certainly 
  

  

  