REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY. 



By Gerrit S. Miller, jr., Acting Head Curator. 



COMPARISON OF INCREMENT OF SPECIMENS OF 1921-22 WITH THAT OF 1920-21. 



From the numerical standpoint, the collections of this department 

 show less uniform and healthy growth than during the j^ear 1920-21. 

 The actual number of specimens received, 318,950, represents, it is 

 true, an increase over the previous year, but this increase is only 

 67,437, while the year 1921 showed an increase of no less than 111,720 

 over its predecessor. The details are given in tabular form below. 

 From this table it is seen that in each collection of vertebrates the 

 increment for the present year was less than the increment during 

 1920-21, while in each of the other collections the increment was 

 greater than during the preceding year. Just why there should 

 have been this sharp distinction between vertebrates and inverte- 

 brates is not clear, but the fact is worth noticing. 



Together with the decrease in relative increment has gone a gen- 

 eral decrease in the scientific importance of the new accessions. 

 Three curators regard this importance as increased over that of the 

 previous year's accessions, but only one of these (insects) feels called 

 upon to express enthusiasm. Of the six others, five report essentially 

 stationary conditions and one (fishes) a great falling off. In this 

 last instance, however, the decreases in increment and value are 

 both more apparent than real, for the reason that the increment in 

 1920-21 came chiefly from one collection whose size and value were 

 extraordinary. 



In this connection it should again be emphasized that an increase 

 in the number of specimens received means additional demands on 

 the time and labor of the staff and that this means less chance for 

 scientific work — that is, for making the knowledge represented by 

 these collections available to the public — unless additional help can 

 be obtained. In other words, normal growth of the quantity and 

 quality of the accessions requires a normal growth in the scientific 

 staff. 



17075—22 4 49 



