24 Report of the President. 



From July 10 to August 10 the Curator spent his time in the 

 Black Mountains in western North Carolina for the purpose of 

 of collecting material. Over 3,000 specimens were obtained, all 

 of which have been mounted. The results of the expedition are 

 such as to warrant the continuation of the researches. 



Field work in the vicinity of New York has resulted in the 

 addition of many rare species to our local collection. 



A monograph of the Sesiidse, a work containing about 150 

 pages, with eight colored plates, has been prepared for the 

 Memoirs. 



Library. — The report of the Librarian reveals an increase of 

 9,157 volumes, making a total of 52,689 volumes. The most 

 notable addition to the Library is the gift of General Egbert L. 

 Viele, U. S. A., of 1,136 volumes, 960 Nos., 1,833 pamphlets and 

 66 maps. Many of these works enable the Librarian to complete 

 unfilled series which were very difficult to obtain. 



The Museum is also indebted to the Honorable Amos E. Cum- 

 mings and the Honorable William Astor Chanler for contribu- 

 tions of government publications required to complete missing 

 numbers. 



The Duke of Loubat has also donated a number of very valu- 

 able and rare works pertaining to anthropology. 



Department of Public Instruction. — Prof. Albert S. Bick- 

 more has delivered the regular courses of lectures under the terms 

 of the contract with the State Superintendent of Public Instruc- 

 tion, and has given two courses of four lectures each to the mem- 

 bers of the Museum by request of the Trustees. 



The free lectures delivered on Tuesday evenings under the 

 auspices of the Board of Education have been attended by large 

 and appreciative audiences. Several courses of lectures have 

 been delivered under the auspices of Columbia University on 

 Saturday evenings. 



In compliance with the request of the President, Mr. Frank M. 

 Chapman, Assistant Curator of the Department of Vertebrate 

 Zoology, gave a series of six lectures to the members of the 

 Museum and the Audubon Society. 



