October 2, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



429 



heretofore unstudied and by collecting 

 some five hundred or more plants for future 

 study and report. 



2. The collection and study of lower 

 forms of plaut life, such as seaweed, fresh- 

 and salt-water alga?, fungi, lichens and 

 niyxomycetes. The work on this latter 

 group is new, as none have heretofore been 

 reported from the Bahama Islands and the 

 present survey has secured about twenty 

 or thirty species. 



3. The principal work of the botanical 

 survey, however, has been, not so much the 

 systematic study of forms, as the study of 

 plants in their adaptation to their environ- 

 ments, the grouping of plants in societies 

 and on certain formations and soil t>T:)es 

 and the variation of the same plants under 

 different conditions to special changes in 

 environment. A large number of photo- 

 graphs of tj^pical plants were also secured. 



SURVEY OP MARINE LIFE. 



Survey of Marine 2^au«a.— Much work 

 has been done on the marine life of the 

 Bahamas and many valuable results se- 

 cured. 



Present Survey.— Hhe aims of the pres- 

 ent survey have been: 



1. To secure color sketches of a number 

 of the most interesting and important 

 fi.shes of the Bahama Islands which have 

 not been figured from other waters. 



2. To secure specimens of fishes for the 

 United States National Museum. 



3. The study of the distribution of the 

 Bahama fishes in reference to other fishes 

 of the West Indian waters. 



4. In prosecuting this work the marine 

 survey has secured a thousand or more 

 specimens of marine life. 



5. The artist has made about twenty-five 

 color sketches of the fishes of the Bahama 

 waters, certain of which will be published 

 in color in the proposed report. 



SURVEY OP LAND PAUNA. 



M'ork of Previous Collectors.— The 

 Bahama Islands have been exhaustively 

 studied by zoologists in previous years and 

 large collections of birds have been made 

 from time to time. Notwithstanding these 

 investigations, problems have constantly 

 come to light which have required further 

 study, and in order to prosecute this work 

 short expeditions have been made to the 

 Bahama Islands for special pui'poses, such 

 as the study of the habits of certain birds 

 and the collection of certain types of life. 



Present Survey.— The objects of the pres- 

 ent survey have been : 



1. To augment the collection of the 

 United States National Museum along cer- 

 tain lines in the types of reptiles, birds and 

 mammals. 



2. To note the habits of certain birds as 

 occasion offered. 



3. To collect especially bats for future 

 study in the United States National Mu- 

 seum. 



4. To secure as representative a collection 

 as possible for display in one of the insti- 

 tutions of Baltimore city. 



5. In prosecuting this work about two 

 hundred and sixty skins of representative 

 birds, a hundred specimens of reptiles and 

 about three hundred mammals have been 

 secured. 



ATMOSPHERIC SURVEY. 



M'ork of Previous Investigators.— Trevi- 

 ous investigations have consisted of a com- 

 prehensive and excellent collection of daily 

 weather observations which have been pub- 

 lished from time to time and have afforded 

 the basis of the present work. 



^York of the Present Survey.— 1. The 

 discussion of previous observations. 



2. The securing of a continuous record 

 of climatic conditions by means of self- 

 recording instruments in regard to pres- 

 sure, temperature and humidity from the 



