REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 9 



the joint auspices of the Isthmian Canal Commission, the United 

 States Geological Survey, and the Smithsonian Institution, and an 

 allotment has been made from the Institution's funds toward the ex- 

 penses of such investigation. The general plan of the survey com- 

 prises a systematic study of the physiography, stratigTaphy and 

 structural geology, geologic history, geologic correlation, mineral re- 

 sources (including coal, oil, and other fields) , petrography and pale- 

 ontology of the Canal Zone, and of as much of the adjacent areas of 

 the Isthmian region as is feasible. In this survey an opportunity is 

 afforded for working out in detail the succession of the geologic for- 

 mations and the study of the structure, petrography, and paleontology 

 of a Central American area such as has never before existed, and 

 probably never will be realized again. It is possible to make and 

 properly characterize a standard geologic section of this part of the 

 world, one with which the more obscure exposures of adjacent areas 

 may be compared. There is already nearly completed a section of 

 each side of the Culebra Cut in a horizontal scale of 1 : 5,000, vertical 

 scale 1 : 2,500 ; and a general section has been made from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific, with collections from every fossiliferous exposure seen. 

 A basis has been practically determined for the intercorrelation of 

 the formations across the Isthmus and for correlation with the Gulf 

 States, also with certain formations in some of the West Indian 

 Islands. 



Upon the completion of this survey the Institution will publish a 

 general account of the work accomplished, and later it is planned to 

 print a detailed report of the geological data of the Isthmus and 

 adjoining regions. 



BIOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS IN AFRICA. 



Rainey African expedition. — The Paul J. Rainey expedition in 

 British East xlfrica came to a successful close in February, 1912. 

 The collections, numbering 5,750 large and small mammals, 400 birds, 

 2,000 reptiles, and 500 miscellaneous specimens, included a large 

 number of new genera and species since described in the publications 

 of the Institution and the National Museum. During this expedition 

 Mr. Edmund Heller, of the National Museum, who had previously 

 served as naturalist on the expedition under Col. Roosevelt, was the 

 guest of Mr. Rainey, who provided him all the native assistants that 

 he could use, and accorded him perfect freedom as regards choice of 

 collecting ground. Mr, Heller was thus able to visit the exact regions 

 from which material was most needed to supplement that procured 

 by the previous expedition. After studying the mammals in the 

 British Museum, Mr. Heller reports that the United States National 

 Museum now has the finest series of East African mammals in the 

 world. Eighty lions were secured on the expedition, which more 

 than tripled the highest previous record for Africa. 



