Vol. VI] EVERM ANN— DIRECTOR'S REPORT FOR 1916 261 



of America north of Mexico. This catalogue will soon be issued as a 

 volume of the semicentennial publications of the University of California. 



A collection of butterflies for temporary exhibition in the Mammal Hall 

 of the Academy was prepared soon after the formal opening of the 

 Academy building. This collection consists of 12 trays of showy exotic 

 species and six trays of carefully determined and labelled California species 

 which it is hoped may be of interest to children taking nature work in the 

 public schools and to those beginning a collection of local insects and wish- 

 ing help in the determination of their captures. 



Looking ahead to another year the most urgent duty of the curator of 

 this department will be the classification and arrangement of the North 

 American material now in the collection so it will be available for scien- 

 tific research. Of scarcely less importance is the accumulation of a more 

 complete collection of the insects of California as a basis for the ecological 

 and taxonomic study of our insect fauna. Another matter of importance 

 in outlining the work of the coming year is the inauguration of a system 

 of recording the material in the collection and for this purpose a card 

 system of species-records and a book record for current lots as received 

 and for type material seems the most practical and useful. The preparation 

 of a permanent exhibit, especially of the insects of our own State, should 

 not be neglected, and later when our material has been worked over and 

 made more available the preparation of life history groups can be under- 

 taken to good advantage. For the preparation of these exhibits and for the 

 mounting and labelling of the accumulated material now on hand, some pro- 

 vision should be made in the estimates for the coming year that will allow 

 the employment of an assistant to the curator occasionally as circum- 

 stances may require. I might add that much of this accumulated material 

 is of great scientific interest and is indispensable for study, but in its 

 present condition it is entirely unavailable for such purposes and practically 

 inaccessible, and it is important that it be mounted and suitable cases pro- 

 vided for its reception. Much of the work of this department in the past 

 has been the accumulation of material, but it now seems desirable that this 

 material be made available to our own students and to other specialists 

 who may wish to undertake its study so the Academy may profit by their 

 labors and acquire the types and paratypes of the new species. 



