REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 9 



BOTANICAL EXPEDITION TO THE ORIENT. 



As noted in last year's report, Dr. A. S. Hitchcock, custodian of 

 the section of grasses of the National Museum, visited the Orient 

 under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture for the purpose 

 of collecting and studying grasses, especially the bamboos. As the 

 specimens collected come to the National Museum, it will not be out 

 of place to here mention briefly Doctor Hitchcock's work. The trip 

 occupied about eight months, ending in December, 1921, and the 

 regions visited included the Philippines, Japan, China, and Indo- 

 China, 



Japan is not very favorable for the collecting of grasses, as it is 

 mostly a forested region and there is comparativelj^ little open coun- 

 try. The bamboos were of interest, as there are many species. In 

 the Lake Hakone region the hills were covered for miles with a 

 single species of bamboo {Arundincuria chino) , 4 to 8 feet high, often 

 to the exclusion of everything else, 



China, on the other hand, was very rich in grasses. One of the 

 surprises of the trip was to find so much open grass land in a country 

 that is said to be very thickly populated. The cities of China are 

 very much crowded and the valley lands are intensively cultivated, 

 but the hills are unoccupied and almost unused. This is in striking 

 contrast to our own western regions where, except in national forests 

 and other protected areas, the grass lands are extensively grazed. 

 The basic reason for this condition in China appears to be the risk 

 from" bandits. The valley lands can be protected but the hills are 

 open to the attack of robbers. 



The expendition was very successful, and a large and valuable col- 

 lection of grasses was brought back. The technical results of the 

 work will be published later by the Department of Agriculture or the 

 National Herbarium of the National Museum. 



AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 



Through the generosity of Dr. W. L. Abbott, Mr. Charles M. Hoy 

 continued his work of collecting for the Museum specimens of the 

 very interesting fauna of Australia. The work was terminated dur- 

 ing the winter and Mr. Hoy returned to the United States in May, 

 1922. The results of this expedition are of especial value for two 

 reasons : First, the Australian fauna has heretofore been but scantily 

 represented in the Museum, and, second, the remarkable fauna of 

 that continent is rapidly being exterminated through various causes. 

 The specimens received during the year bring the total up to 1,179 

 mammals, including series of skeletal and embryological material; 

 928 birds, with 41 additional examples in alcohol; and smaller collec- 

 tions of reptiles, amphibians, insects, marine specimens, etc. 



