66 REPORT OP NATIOISTAL, MUSEUM, 1925 



versity of Illinois, fresh- water material; and Dr. V. Sterki, New 

 Philadelphia, Ohio, a Pisidium from an old lake at Deep Springs, 

 Calif. 



In the division of echinoderms Miss Elizabeth Deichman, of Co- 

 penhagen, Denmark, continued studies of the collection of holo- 

 thurians until the middle of May, and identified very nearly all of 

 the undetermined material. 



Prof. M. M. Metcalf , who as a member of the National Research 

 Council spent the past winter in Washington, was given facilities 

 for his work on the Opaline parasites of batrachians. 



The National Herbarium has been used freely by members of the 

 scientific staff of the Department of Agriculture. In particular. 

 Dr. J. F. Blake devoted much time to the identification of recent 

 material from South America, especially plants of the family Com- 

 positae, and Dr. C. V. Piper continued studies of certain tropical 

 groups of the family Fabaceae. 



EESEAKCHES ELSEWHERE AIDED BY MUSEUM MATERIAL 



Nothing better illustrates the scientific importance and value of 

 the Museum collections than the number of investigators who in 

 the pursuit of their studies come to the National Museum to examine 

 its specimens and consult its staff and its libraries, or who borrow 

 material to supplement their own, without which they could not 

 hope to complete their investigations. The scientific staffs in the 

 various departments in Washington are privileged visitors and it 

 is unnecessary to enumerate the almost daily visits of investigators 

 from the Bureaus of Biological Survey, Entomology, Plant Indus- 

 try, Fisheries, Animal Industry, Geological Survey, and the Public 

 Health Service. 



Dr. William L. Strauss, jr., of Johns Hopkins University, made 

 a study of the skeletons of the higher apes in their bearing on the 

 problem of human evolution. Dr. Paul B. Johnson had access to 

 collection of skulls for studies in comparative anatomy of mammals, 

 and Samuel Shapiro, of George Washington University, examined 

 the collection of primate skulls in a study of the molar cusps. Prof. 

 Peter P. Sushkin, director of the Zoological Museum of the Rus- 

 sian Academy of Sciences, spent more than a month in the division 

 of birds, examining the collections of raptorial birds, and passeri- 

 form skeletons. Dr. William R. Morse, of the University of Chen- 

 tung, Szechwan, China, examined the collection of Chinese birds 

 and received instruction in preparing study specimens of birds.^ 

 Dr. Leon L. Gardner, United State Army, examined bird tongues 

 during November and December, 1924, in connection with a paper 

 he was preparing on the subject. Dr. Joseph Grinnell, director of 



