OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 297 



Of the 40,000 known kinds of fishes in the world, the National Museum has 

 examples of about half. These natural-history collections accompanied by ac- 

 curate records, form the basis of the science of ichthyology, just as cataloged 

 books iu the Library of Congress preserve the recorded knowledge and history 

 of mankind. In connection with comparative studies on species, subspecies, 

 and races, the research workers in this Division study the principal morphologi- 

 cal characteristics of specimens and establish, on the basis of morphology, stand- 

 ards of classification. The Division has 1,704,654 specimens in its reference 

 collections. The use of these collections is basic in many research problems 

 in oceanography. 



Much of the scientific work of the staff is carried on in cooperation with other 

 Government departments or foreign governments, as well as through contracts 

 with individuals and various organizations. The performance of scientific work 

 required a background of highly technical knowledge and experience gained 

 through years of intensive study and familiarity with the fishes of the world. 

 With the fundamental knowledge, ability, and initiative to do creative investiga- 

 tions, the staff increases and diffuses ichthyological knowledge to mankind. 

 This work is made possible by having at our fingertips a large divisional library 

 and many drawings and photographs of fishes. As a result, the Division (1) 

 publishes revisions of families, genera, and species; (2) prepares reports on the 

 fish fauna of certain areas; (3) initiates studies with institutions and private 

 individuals; (4) develops techniques and methods of studying fishes; and (5) 

 prepares manuscripts of life history, habits, ecology, distribution, anatomy, 

 physiology, and conservation of fishes. 



The Division of MoUusks is charged with the study of the moUusks of the 

 world. These are found almost everj^where on this globe, from the depths of 

 the oceans to the reefs, rocks, and sands that fringe the continents, on the land 

 from the lush tropical jungles to the desert wastes and high barren mountain 

 peaks, and in almost all fresh-water rivers, streams, and ponds. In the oceans 

 are found representatives of all the five classes into which the moUuscan phylum 

 is divided : the Crepipoda (or Amphineura), including the chitons or coat-of-mail 

 shells ; the Seaphopoda or tooth and tusk shells ; the Pelecypoda, including the 

 edible oysters, scallops, pearl oysters, and claims ; the Gastropoda, which include 

 many different groups, such as the limpets, periwinkles, conchs, cowries, and 

 whelks; and finally the Cephalopoda, the most highly developed group of mol- 

 lusks, including the squid and octopus. In the fresh water we have the river 

 and pond snails among the Gastropoda, and the fresh-water mussels and finger- 

 nail clams among the Pelecjrpcda. The Division deals with the identification, 

 classification, relationships, nomenclature, and geographic distribution of the 

 moUusks and studies their structure, life habits, ecology, variation, and evolu- 

 tion, as well as their economic importance. 



Many mollusks are closely connected with man's life. Oysters, clams, and 

 scallops, for instance, are iniportant food items. Teredo, the shipworm, is a 

 great destroyer of pilings and other wooden structures along our coasts. Many 

 fresh-water mollusks are directly implicated in severe diseases of man and live- 

 stock by acting as intermediate hosts to larval stages of parasitic worms. It is 

 estimated that probably 100 million persons in China alone suffer from schisto- 

 somiasis induced by the oriental blood fluke. 



The Division has 9,677,070 specimens in its reference collections. The Divi- 

 sion undertakes the identification of the mollusks in the collection, probably 

 the largest in the world, with a view to arranging them properly in a natural 

 classification. This is done by comparing them with specimens already authenti- 

 cally named (including types) and by consulting the books and publications in 

 the sectional library, the finest collection of books and articles on mollusks in 

 the country. This may result in the preparation of brief articles or extended 

 monographs on the mollusks of a certain region (such as "A Manual of the 

 Recent and Fossil Marine Pelecypod Mollusks of the Hawaiian Islands"), or the 

 known species included in a certain genus or family or larger unit (as "A 

 Monograph of the American Shipworms"). It likewise involves the preparation 

 of card indices of species of mollusk^! of certain areas, or those included in 

 certain groups. The preparation of bibliographies of molluscan literature is 

 also a necessary adjunct. 



A project that has been carried on for a number of years in a study of the 

 marine mollusks of the western and central Pacific, in cooperation with other 

 institutions and with the aid of other Government agencies. It reflects the 

 increasing interest in the marine life of the Pacific and is directly related to 



