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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1147 



pense. If this be possible in so short a time 

 with practically no outside support, what 

 splendid things might not be possible with a 

 little organization and support. After wide 

 experience, running through twenty-four years, 

 I do not, as a general thing, believe in expedi- 

 tions. The results to be obtained therefrom 

 rarely justify the great expense, and do not 

 compare either in quantity or quality with 

 residence. In these countries we have had 

 resident biologists only in Singapore, Java, 

 Amboina, Sarawak and Luzon — that is, biol- 

 ogists engaged on the fauna and flora. Among 

 other things, continued residence would en- 

 able us to make more extensive collections of 

 seeds and living plants than have ever been 

 made in these regions before, and American 

 botanic gardens and American botanists could 

 profit largely through such activities. Re- 

 cently a single Sunday jaunt made near here 

 produced a fine new Gardenia, a new Pavetta, 

 several recently described palms, some new 

 Hepaticse and mosses, and a large number of 

 new fungi. 



It seems to me that this is a tremendous 

 opportunity for American institutions or for 

 American scientific societies. I believe that 

 funds for work of this character could be ex- 

 pended here with more highly interesting and 

 important results in proportion to the amount 

 expended, than in almost any of the lesser 

 known regions of the earth. I recommend 

 most strongly that this be accomplished 

 through residence, in periods of not less than 

 two or three years for any given region. This 

 would involve something of the nature of a 

 moving laboratory. Good houses can be built 

 very cheaply in these countries, and tempo- 

 rary locations can be obtained with great readi- 

 ness, and without expense, at almost any point. 

 There are a number of men, including myself, 

 who are ready and anxious to take part in this 

 work, and to whom salary or separation from 

 home and the larger centers are entirely minor 

 considerations. The station or stations main- 

 tained would ever be ready as headquarters 

 for students who were engaged in advanced 

 investigations and who might come out for 

 varying lengths of time, assured of finding 



here a safe and comfortable base for opera- 

 tions in the most favorable regions. There 

 has been a great deal of economic development 

 in these countries since the days of Wallace 

 and Beccari. Steamship lines now reach many 

 points among these islands, and planters have 

 established themselves in many places near the 

 coasts, so that travelling is no longer either 

 difficult or unsafe. 



I would suggest that the first station be 

 established in the very large but almost un- 

 known island of Mindanao, the largest of the 

 Philippines, and the interior of which has 

 been rarely even visited by biologists. With 

 an accompanying or succeeding station in 

 British North Borneo, and later in Celebes 

 and the more southern islands, it will be pos- 

 sible to make a more thorough study of island 

 faunae, as opened up by Wallace, than has 

 ever before been possible in Malayan regions. 

 Results of the highest importance are likely 

 to follow both among plants and insects. A 

 recent collection of Luzon Elateridas sent by 

 me to Fleutiaux, besides containing many 

 endemic forms, has been shown to include 

 many species formerly supposed to be con- 

 fined to Borneo, Celebes, Amboina, and even 

 Sumatra. More thorough and comprehensive 

 work promises to completely revise our ideas 

 of the distribution of certain groups through 

 the Malayan Islands. Of even greater impor- 

 tance is the fact that beyond the few highly 

 interesting observations of Wallace and some 

 others, we know nothing of the life relations 

 of the vast series of insects and plants in- 

 habiting this region. This can be tapped 

 effectively only by residence. My friend, Mr. 

 Frederick Muir, expert entomologist, of 

 Hawaii, now here with me, who has travelled 

 widely in the Orient, concurs with me, in the 

 belief that the proposed stations would be of 

 the highest possible value in connection with 

 the work in insect parasites which is playing 

 so large a part in the economic entomology of 

 to-day. 



It would be necessary to fix some point or 

 points in America as general depositories for 

 the safe preservation and continued study of 

 the materials gathered in connection with this 



