44 REPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 190*7. 



south slope of the Sierra Maestra, to a height of 3,500 feet; at Dai- 

 quiri, about 18 miles cast of Santiago, especially interesting for its 

 cacti: on the Gran Piedra, to a height of 4,000 feet; on the Yateras 

 Range, l'O to 25 miles south of Guantanamo, to a height of 2. 100 feet, 

 and at Novaliches, a cactus region, <> miles south of Guantanaino. lie 

 collected about 3,000 dried specimens and about 1('»0 living cacti and 

 orchids. The former were mostly ferns, representing about two- 

 thirds of the known species of Cuba, many being rare. He also made 

 observations regarding the distribution of the rare insectivorous 

 mammal, Solenodon culm-nun, and secured several specimens of the 

 Ilutia rat, Capromyn, and one specimen of the rare Cuban ivory- 

 billed woodpecker. Campephilus bairdi. 



Explorations by other branches of the Government and by indi- 

 viduals resulted, as in previous years, in extensive additions to the 

 collections of biology. Idle work' of the Bureau of Fisheries in the 

 Northwestern Pacific Ocean, of the Biological Survey in the West, 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry in Mexico, of Doctor Mearns in the 

 Philippines, of Prof. (\ II. Eigenmann in Cuba, and of Dr. II. 

 Pittier and Dr. Edward Palmer in Central America and Mexico are 

 deserving of special mention. Valuable material was also received 

 as the result of explorations by the Costa Rican National Museum. 



During May. l'.'OT. Dr. George P. Merrill, head curator of geology, 

 spent a week at Coon Butte crater, Arizona, conducting investigations 

 under a grant from the Smithsonian Institution, and another week 

 in collecting specimens of fossil wood in the Fossil Forest reserva- 

 tion near Adaniana. in the same Territory. 



Mr. (J. AY. (iilniore. also under the auspices of the Smithsonian 

 Inst it ut ion. left Washington on May 22, 1907, for Alaska, where he 

 will explore several regions in which the remains of the mammoth 

 and other large mammals are likely to occur. Under the joint aus- 

 pices of the F. S. Geological Survey and (he Museum, geological 

 investigations were carried on in the Mississippi Valley by Dr. R. S. 

 Bassler, and on June IT. 1907, Dr. A. C. Peale was detailed to ac- 

 company Dr. F. II. Knowlton, of the Survey, for the purpose of 

 studying certain problems regarding the fossil flora of the Laramie 

 region. 



DISTIMKI T|o\ AND EXCHANGE OF SPECIMENS. 



There were lent for study to specialists not connected with the 

 Museum over 6,000 specimens. About 25,000 duplicate specimens 

 were used in making exchanges, and some 16,000 were distributed for 

 teaching purposes to educational establishments throughout the 

 country. The latter were mostly contained in 191) sets, as follows: 

 I I of marine invertebrates, 21 of fishes. 51 of rocks. 43 of nonmetallic 

 minerals and ores. 2 of minerals, and 29 of invertebrate fossils; and 



