Vol. XI] GRUNSKY— PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR 1922 55] 



Work on the Steinhart Aquarium has progressed steadily 

 and the building is now nearing completion. The wisdom 

 of deferring construction for a time has now been fully 

 demonstrated. The prices of materials and the wage scale 

 fell considerably from the high peak of 1920 so that more 

 could be accomplished than would otherwise have been pos- 

 sible, and, in the meantime, the available fund has grown 

 from the original $250,000 to an aggregate of a little over 

 $300,000. 



The City will now be asked to make the necessary pro- 

 vision for operating expenses so that the public may enter 

 upon full enjoyment of the aquarium early in the next fiscal 

 year. 



The Academy has been the recipient of many donations 

 and contributions to its store of scientific material during 

 the year and I take this occasion to express, on behalf of the 

 Academy, the assurance of sincere appreciation to the gen- 

 erous donors of funds as already noted, as well as to those 

 who have contributed scientific material, or of their time 

 and knowledge. 



Among the donations of special note are 13 beautifully 

 mounted heads of wild game animals, including moose, elk, 

 deer, mountain sheep, etc., presented on June 14, 1922, by 

 Mr. George C. Beckley. This is a remarkable collection of 

 hunting trophies easily representing an outlay of $10,000 to 

 $12,000. They have been installed in the Mammal Hall of 

 the Museum where they form a most attractive exhibit. 



From George Sturtevant and Roger Sturtevant of Oak- 

 land, California, the Academy received on December 15, 

 1922, as a donation, a valuable collection of books, shells, 

 curios and carvings formerly belonging to the grandfather 

 of the donors, the late J. N. Webster. The books included 

 in this collection, comprising 369 volumes, constitute an 

 important addition to the Academy's library. 



The Academy has also received during the past year a 

 valuable contribution from Miss Alice Eastwood, the Cura- 

 tor of the Department of Botany. This was in the nature 

 of the employment of Ivan M. Johnston to identify the 

 specimens and prepare the report of the Botanical Section 

 of the Academy's Gulf of California expedition. The ex- 



