﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  47 
  

  

  A 
  field 
  trip 
  by 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  S. 
  Bassler, 
  curator 
  of 
  stratigraphic 
  paleon- 
  

   tology, 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  through 
  France 
  and 
  Germany, 
  

   included 
  two 
  weeks 
  spent 
  in 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Paris 
  Basin 
  in 
  company 
  

   with 
  Dr. 
  Ferdinand 
  Canu, 
  of 
  Versailles, 
  France, 
  an 
  eminent 
  student 
  

   of 
  microfossils. 
  Doctor 
  Canu, 
  to 
  commemorate 
  his 
  long 
  association 
  

   with 
  the 
  paleontological 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  presented 
  to 
  

   it 
  his 
  entire 
  collection 
  of 
  French 
  Cenozoic 
  and 
  Mesozoic 
  fossils, 
  num- 
  

   bering 
  more 
  than 
  100,000 
  specimens. 
  Doctor 
  Bassler 
  visited 
  in 
  suc- 
  

   cession 
  the 
  E-hine 
  Valley, 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Main, 
  the 
  Early 
  Tertiary 
  

   areas 
  around 
  Miinich, 
  and 
  the 
  classic 
  Mesozoic 
  region 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hartz 
  Mountains. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  C. 
  E. 
  Resser 
  spent 
  August 
  and 
  September 
  in 
  field 
  work 
  in 
  

   the 
  liocliy 
  Mountains 
  in 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  studies 
  of 
  Cambrian 
  

   stratigraphy 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  secretary. 
  Doctor 
  Walcott. 
  He 
  was 
  assisted 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Erwin 
  R. 
  Pohl, 
  of 
  the 
  paleontological 
  staff, 
  whose 
  special 
  

   interest 
  in 
  the 
  Devonian 
  led 
  him 
  to 
  secure 
  good 
  study 
  collections 
  from 
  

   these 
  strata 
  whenever 
  encountered. 
  

  

  Under 
  an 
  allotment 
  from 
  the 
  National 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  Mr. 
  

   Charles 
  W. 
  Gilmore 
  was 
  again 
  enabled 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  Grand 
  Canyon 
  of 
  

   the 
  Colorado. 
  While 
  the 
  main 
  object 
  of 
  this 
  trip 
  was 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  

   development 
  of 
  certain 
  educational 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  canyon 
  for 
  the 
  

   National 
  Park 
  Service, 
  an 
  opportunity 
  was 
  offered 
  to 
  make 
  further 
  

   collections 
  of 
  fossil 
  footprints 
  from 
  the 
  Supai 
  and 
  the 
  Hermit 
  forma- 
  

   tions. 
  A 
  noteworthy 
  slab 
  of 
  large 
  size 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  the 
  clearly 
  

   impressed 
  trackways 
  of 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  three 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  animals 
  

   on 
  its 
  surface 
  and 
  will 
  make 
  an 
  unusually 
  interesting 
  exhibit. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  autumn 
  of 
  1926 
  the 
  Venice 
  Co., 
  of 
  Venice, 
  Fla., 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  fossil 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  mammoth 
  and 
  cordially 
  

   invited 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  to 
  send 
  and 
  recover 
  the 
  specimen. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  

   Gidley 
  was 
  detailed 
  for 
  this 
  work, 
  which 
  occupied 
  10 
  days. 
  Though 
  

   the 
  skeleton 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  complete, 
  the 
  portions 
  found 
  were 
  of 
  

   sufficient 
  value 
  to 
  amply 
  repay 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  expense 
  required 
  to 
  

   collect 
  and 
  preser;'e 
  them. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  Doctor 
  Gidley 
  

   was 
  again 
  detailed 
  to 
  visit 
  Curtis, 
  Okla., 
  and 
  Sarasota, 
  Fla., 
  to 
  in- 
  

   vestigate 
  reported 
  finds 
  of 
  fossil 
  remains. 
  The 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  first- 
  

   mentioned 
  locality 
  yielded 
  remains 
  of 
  various 
  Pleistocene 
  mammals. 
  

   At 
  Sarasota 
  and 
  Zolfo 
  Springs, 
  Fla., 
  a 
  good 
  collection 
  representing 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  fauna 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  was 
  obtained. 
  

  

  BTHLDINGS 
  AND 
  EQIJIPMENT 
  

  

  Various 
  minor 
  repairs 
  have 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  buildings 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  Natural 
  

   Histor}^ 
  Building 
  the 
  exterior 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  window 
  sashes 
  

   on 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  floors 
  have 
  been 
  repainted. 
  Concrete 
  floors 
  

  

  