Vol. VIII] EVERMANN— DIRECTOR'S REPORT FOR 1918 335 



Lathrop, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oreg., and Prof. S. B. 

 Fracker, State Dept. of Agriculture, Madison, Wis. 



In return Academy material has been sent for study to the following 

 specialists : Moths of the family Geometridae to Mr. W. S. Wright of San 

 Diego, Calif. ; spiders to Mr. Nathan Banks, Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. ; the various families of the Diptera, or two- 

 winged flies, to Mr. C. W. Johnson, Director Boston Society of Natural 

 History; Prof. J. S. Hine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Prof. 

 A. L. Lovett, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oreg. ; Mr. R. F. 

 Cole, Bureau of Entomology Laboratory, Forest Grove, Oreg. ; and Mr. 

 M. C. Van Duzee, Bufifalo, N. Y. Fortunately the Academy has in its own 

 membership specialists well equipped to care for all families of the great 

 order of Coleoptera, or beetles, whose help has already been acknowledged. 



More than 30 entomologists from various states and countries have in- 

 spected or made use of the collections of the department during the year. 



Another feature of the work of this department merits at least a passing 

 notice. During the past year it has been the custom of the curator and his 

 wife, when not absent on necessary field work, to keep "open house," as 

 it were, at the entomological laboratory for both local and visiting ento- 

 mologists and their friends, so they can meet, make use of the Academy 

 collections, and generally get better acquainted with one another and talk 

 over the work they may be doing. These informal semi-social afternoons 

 have proved so popular that they will be continued, and all members and 

 friends of the Academy interested in insects will be welcome even if they 

 do not technically classify themselves as entomologists. 



One word regarding the needs of this department for the coming year. 

 Our first duty is the accumulation of material representing our local insect 

 fauna and its determination and systematic arrangement. We must begin 

 by building up a reference collection of west American insects. Until this 

 is done educational and display work must be done under conditions not 

 economical of time or money. This preliminary work is now well advanced 

 in the order Coleoptera. If a sufficient number of cases can be secured 

 another year should see the Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera in a 

 condition of similar completeness, leaving but three orders still unassorted, 

 and possibly these might be gotten into fair shape the following year. 

 Further enlargement of the entomological exhibits will be continued as 

 rapidly as properly determined material can be secured. 



Department of Herpetology 

 By John Van Denburgh, Curator 



The Department of Herpetology during the year 1918 progressed satis- 

 factorily, notwithstanding many difficulties occasioned by general condi- 

 tions, the war, and the epidemic of influenza. The entrance into the Navy 

 of the assistant curator. Lieutenant Slevin, prevented any active collecting 

 during the last half of the year, while the demands of the epidemic greatly 

 reduced the amount of time and thought which the curator could devote 



