30 ANNUAL EEPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1922. 



Mex., conducted by Mr. Neil M. Jiidd, considerable material Avas 

 forwarded. 



An ornate orilt bronze statue of Buddha from the Imperial Palace 

 at Peking, containing rolls of inscribed prayers, was received by 

 the division of Old World archeology from Maj. Murray Warner 

 through Mrs. Gertrude Bass AA^arner, of Eugene, Oreg. 



Mr. Hugo Worch has added a number of pianos to his collection, 

 and especially noteworthy is a magnificent gilt harpischord made 

 by Pleyel, Paris, France. The collection of violins bequeathed to 

 the Museum under the terms of the will of Dwight J. Partello 

 was lost to the Museum, as it was found that through a previous 

 bill of sale the collection belonged to one of his daughters. 



In art textiles mention should be made of a collection of speci- 

 mens of lace of high class, a permanent deposit by Miss Emily 

 (t. Storrow. In ceramics a selection of American art pottery was 

 supplied for the exhibit of the National Gallery of Art. 



A special exhibit of tiles made in the United States and assem- 

 bled by the Associated Tile Manufacturers to illustrate the result 

 of 44 years' development of an American industry was shown 

 from May 16 to June 20, 1922, in tAvo rooms off the foyer in the 

 Natural History Building. 



Biology. — From the numerical standpoint the collections of the 

 department of biology show less uniform and healthy growth than 

 during the hscal year 1921. The actual number of specimens re- 

 ceived, 318.950, represents, it is true, an increase over the previous 

 year, but this increase is only 67,437, while the year 1921 showed 

 an increase of no less than 114,720 over its predecessor. 



Together with the decrease in relative increment has gone a gen- 

 eral decrease in the scientific importance of the new accessions. 

 Three curators regard this importance as increased over that of 

 the previous year's accessions, but only one of these (insects) feels 

 called upon to express enthusiasm. Of the six others five report 

 essentially stationary conditions and one (fishes) a falling off. 



The great outstanding feature among this year's accessions is 

 the collection of about 100,000 insects of all orders, made by Dr. 

 AA^illiam M. Mann in South America, chiefly in eastern Bolivia. 

 In Alaska another unusually important collection of insects was 

 obtained by Dr. John M. Aldrich. The final consignment of Mr. 

 Hoy's Australian material (mostly vertebrates) presented, by Dr. 

 AVilliam L. Abbott, brings the important and successful Australian 

 exiDedition to a close. 



The National Herbarium through cooperation with the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture acquired the very large private herbarium of 

 Dr. Otto Buchtien of over 45,000 specimens, rich in material from 



