REPORT OP NATIONAL MtTSEtJM, 1925 59 



collections of bird skins received from China no less than 554 were 

 remade, degreased, and cleaned. Similarly, a large number of 

 mammal skins were cleaned, tanned, repaired, or dismounted. C. E. 

 Mirguet in addition to cleaning large mammal skulls and skeletons, 

 made plaster casts, and remade skins of reptiles. J. W. ScoUick 

 cleaned 381 bird skeletons and parts of skeletons in addition to some 

 mammal skulls and skeletons. C. S. East, who was detailed part 

 of the time to work under Mr. ScoUick, similarly cleaned about 40 

 skeletons. The work has thus progressed very satisfactorily con- 

 sidering the reduced force. 



RESEARCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MUSEUM 



The research of the members of the scientific staff consists chiefly 

 in reports upon the collections. After proper care of the collections, 

 research is a primary function and duty. Without it the Museum 

 would fail in its intent, and in proportion as all the collections are 

 worked and reported upon, the Museum fulfills its purpose as a 

 scientific institution. Unfortunately, the staff is numerically inade- 

 quate to cover the entire field of the two organic kingdoms, and 

 whole phyla are lying fallow because appropriations are lacking to 

 employ more workers. Recourse to a " volunteer staff " of univer- 

 sity professors and curators of other museums is an expediency 

 which works well in some special cases, but these coworkers, whose 

 help is fully appreciated and gratefully acknowledged, can not take 

 the place of resident curators. Such gratuitous services are usually 

 not continuous nor can progress reports be expected or required. 



As intimated, research work in the divisions must be secondary to 

 the curatorial work, and as curatorial duties are constantly increas- 

 ing while the personnel remains stationary, the time left for research 

 is proportionally decreasing. What has been accomplished during 

 the year may be briefly summarized as follows : 



The curator of mammals, Gerrit S. Miller, jr., completed and 

 published several important papers, notably a fully illustrated ac- 

 count of the Pollack whale from Florida, presented to the Museum 

 by the Miami Aquarium Association. This specimen is the first 

 complete skeleton of this North Atlantic whale to come to any 

 museum. He continued his studies of whales, and of the remains 

 of recently extinct mammals found in various cave deposits in the 

 Antilles. 



The curator of birds. Dr. Robert Ridgway, completed accounts of 

 the generic and supergeneric groups and the synonymy for part 9 of 

 Museum Bulletin No. 50, " The Birds of North and Middle America," 

 and continued work on the synonymy diagnoses and keys to the 

 higher groups for part 10. Dr. Charles W. Richmond, associate 



