BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY) 11 



In the Department of Grcology work was clone on Devonian 

 cephalaspids ; Triassic fishes from Madagascar ; Liassic plesiosaurs ; 

 and Cretaceous dinosaurs. Progress was made with the relabelling 

 and rearrangement of the Eocene, Oligocene and Pliocene lamelli- 

 branchs, and revision and rearrangement of the Palaeozoic corals was 

 continued. All the brachiopods were arranged in new cabinets. 

 Nearly 500 thin sections were made of various plants and invertebrates 

 for the purpose of study. 



In the Department of Mineralogy the introductory collection to the 

 stud}^ of rocks was entirely rearranged and relabelled. 



In the Dex3artment of Botany collections from Nepal, the Burma- 

 Tibet frontier, Akpatok Island, Chinese Turkestan, and Arabia were 

 named and incorporated. The Polygonaceae, Oxalidaceae, Labiatae, 

 Thymelaceae, Cyperaceae, and Gramineae in the General Herbarium 

 were rearranged ; as were Euphrasia, Atri2:)lex, Sorbus, and Salicornia 

 in the British Herbarium ; the rearrangement and incorporation of 

 British mosses was completed. Systematic investigatiors of Combretum, 

 Magnolia, Podostemaceae and Selaginella were continued. By enclosin g 

 a portion of the second-floor landing the European room was extended 

 to house the Boswell-Syme herbarium. 



Congresses, etc. 



Dr. L. J. Spencer, F.R.S. and Dr. G. P. Herbert Smith, as delegates 

 of the Museum, attended the Annual Conference of the Museums 

 Association held at Birmingham from 27 June to 2 July. Dr. Herbert 

 Smith also attended the Annual Conference of the Association of 

 Special Libraries and Information Bureaux at Somerville College, 

 Oxford, in September, as representative of the Museum. Dr. H. Scott 

 and Dr. P. W. Edwards represented the Museum at the Fifth Inter- 

 national Congress of Entomology and the Centenary of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of France, in Paris, from 16 to 23 July. Dr. Scott was 

 also an official representative of His Majesty's Goverrment. Mr. A. C. 

 Townsend was the delegate of the Museum at the Fifty-fifth Annual 

 Conference of the Library Association held at Bournemouth in 

 September. 



The Director and several members of the scientific staff attended the 

 meeting of the British Association at York in September. 



Advisory and Economic Activities. 



In the Department of Zoology a great deal of attention was given 

 to the musk rat and nutria problems. The services of Mr. M. A. C. 

 Hinton, Deputy Keeper, were lent to the Ministry of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries for a period of six months in connexion with the campaign 

 for the extermination of musk rats. Questions relating to sealing and 

 whaling were also dealt with. Mr. P. P. Lowe was on various occasions 

 consulted by the Home Office regarding the protection of birds in 

 the British Isles. Following a request from the Imperial Institute, an 

 investigation of the species of reptiles which are actual or potential 

 sources for the supply of skins was undertaken, and a report submitted, 

 making recommendations with regard to the preservation of the fauna, 

 and putting forward suggestions for the development of the industry. 

 Advice was given in connexion with the corrosion of some culverts at 



