48 SMITHSIIXIAX MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 68 



The month of April was spent in. Haiti, where they thorou,nhly 

 explored the " Cul-de-Sac '" region, the north coast of the western 

 peninsula and the coastal ran^je from the " Cul-de-Sac " north as far 

 as San Marc, from which regions very little land mollusk material 

 was represented in the Museum collection. This material was very 

 necessarv in order to complete the links in the chain of the distrihu- 

 tion of the \\'est Indian land mollusks. a prohlem which presents many 

 interesting' scientific phases, which, when fully examined, will throw- 

 much light on zoog^eographic distribution. In the " L"ul-de-Sac," 

 collecting stations were made about Port au Prince, along the line 

 of the coast north of the city, at Thomazeau and on the shores of 

 Lake Assuei. In the coastal range north of the " Cul-de-Sac," collec- 

 tions were made at numerous jjoints from San Marc to Lake Assuei, 

 the higher elevations being reached at Morne a Cabrits and the moun- 

 tains back of Trou Caiman. Collections were also made in the hills 

 south of Port au Prince and about Petionville. 



(_)n the north coast of the southern peninsula collecting was done 

 at Petit (ioave and Miragoane. l)ur more concentrated efforts during 

 a period of two weeks were devoted to the mountains about Jeremie, 

 a region of considerable importance in the study of Antillean zoo- 

 geograph}-. \\'ith Jeremie as a base, daily collecting excursions were 

 made covering a very considerable area. 



A representative series of about 15,000 specimens was secured; 

 also about 1,000 other natural history specimens, including several 

 new birds, some very interesting cacti and other plants and miscel- 

 laneous invertebrates, insects, fossil mollusks, fishes, batrachians, 

 bats, and mice. 



.\n extensive series of interesting photographs was also made, 

 many of which will be used in a report on the expedition wliich the 

 explorers hope to publish in the near future. 



A \ISIT TO THE CERIOX COLOXIKS IX FLORIDA 

 1 hrough the co-operation oi the Carnegie Institution and the V. S. 

 National ^Museum. Dr. Paul I'.artsch was enabled to again visit the 

 Bahama Cerion colonies whicli he planted in 1012, for the purpose 

 of studying the results attained during the past year. He reports 

 securing a series of adult sjjecimens of the second l-'lorida grown 

 generation which, when compared with those of the first Florida 

 grown generation of the previous year's collections, will furnish the 

 basis of a report showing the eft'ect of the changed environment upon 

 these organisms. 



