64 REPORT OP NATIONAL. MUSEUM, 1924 



the genus Passiflora as represented in the American tropics and has 

 given much time also to a study of recent collections of plants from 

 the Andes of northern South America, especially the Urticaceae; 

 Dr. A. S. Hitchcock, custodian of the grass herbarium, has continued 

 his studies of North American grasses, and at present is engaged 

 upon a monographic revision of the critical genus Stipa. Dr. Albert 

 Mann, custodian of diatoms, continued his studies of diatoms and 

 completed an elaborate paper on material chiefly gathered by the 

 Albatross Philippine expedition. 



Dr. C. Hart Merriman, associate in zoology, continued his studies 

 on North American bears and other mammals. N. Hollister has 

 continued his interest in the mammal collections recently received 

 from China. Dr. O. P. Hay, of the Carnegie Institution, has made 

 constant use of the collection of recent mammals, in connection with 

 his work on the Pleistocene fauna of North America. Dr. Glover 

 M. Allen, Boston Society of Natural History, has examined the 

 collection of American bats of the genus Myotis with the purpose of 

 completing the monograph begun several years ago by the curator 

 of mammals but abandoned on account of pressure of other duties. 

 It is now planned to issue this monograph under joint authorship. 

 Dr. Alexander Wetmore and Dr. H. C. Oberholser, of the Biological 

 Survey, have rendered invaluable help in a volunteer capacity by 

 identifying specimens and in various other ways. They have both 

 worked in the Museum collections almost constantly while in Wash- 

 ington, Doctor Oberholser chiefly on the Abbott Malayan collections, 

 and Doctor Wetmore on birds of Argentina, skeletons, etc. The 

 division of birds has also been greatly benefited by the work of Dr. 

 C. E. Hellmayr, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, James 

 P. Chapin, American Museum of Natural History, New York, and 

 W. E. Clyde Todd, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, during their 

 visits to the Museum. Similarly, the division of reptiles and batra- 

 chians has been aided greatly by the researches on its material by 

 Dr. E. R. Dunn, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., Prof. Frank 

 N. Blanchard, University of Michigan, and Dr. A. G. Ruthven, 

 director of the Michigan Zoological Museum. Dr. Afranio do 

 Amaral, of the InstituO' do Butantan, Sao Paulo, Brazil, spent a 

 month studying in this division, during which time he overhauled 

 the entire collection of South American snakes, identifying the 

 undetermined material and critically! revising the rest. Henry 

 W. Fowler, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, has 

 continued his cooperation with the division of fishes. 



The work of the scientific staff of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 especially as far as taxonomic research is concerned, is practically 

 a part of the Museum's own staff and has been alluded to above. 



