30 Report of the President 



Beck, and another assistant, Mr. Ernest H. Quayle. The success 

 of the expedition seems assured. The generous sum of $100,000, 

 contributed by Mr. Whitney to cover the period of five years' 

 work, has also enabled us to purchase a vessel for the party, 

 capable of navigation to all parts of the islands. The collections 

 of birds already received are superb in quality and give promise 

 of being absolutely representative of the avifauna of this great 

 region. As a part of the plan, Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy, in 

 February, 1921, was appointed Associate Curator of Marine 

 Birds. He is taking immediate care of the collections as they are 

 received, is publishing preliminary descriptions of what is new 

 to science, and at the same time is working on the Brewster- 

 Sanford Collection of Oceanic Birds, chiefly from the South 

 American Coast regions. 



Progress in the Study and Collection of Mammals 



The loss of our beloved Senior Curator, Doctor Joel A. Allen, 

 on August 29, 1921, removed one who has been our acknowledged 

 leader in the study of both mammals and birds since he came 

 to the Museum in 1885. No one in this country or abroad was 

 qualified to fill the great position which he created in American 

 zoology, through his sterling character, his high intelligence, his 

 enthusiasm both in research and in publication, and his delightful 

 relationship with his associates. Owing to his undiminished 

 powers of work almost to the last day of his life, we are fortunate 

 in possessing the completed manuscript which makes up a 

 memorial volume entitled Mammals of the Congo, to be published 

 in the series of volumes entitled Zoology of the Belgian Congo. 



The Museum is also fortunate in the splendid training given 

 by Doctor Allen to the younger men — especially Curator Chap- 

 man, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Anthony, who are endeavoring to 

 maintain both in Ornithology and in Mammalogy the very high 

 standard of excellence and breadth set by Doctor Allen. In the 

 absence of Associate Curator Andrews, who is in Asia, Associate 

 Curator Anthony, in Charge, assisted by Mr. Herbert Lang, is 

 putting the entire collection in order. Mr. Anthony is devoting 

 himself especially to researches on our South American collections. 



Our collections of mammals, briefly summarized in last year's 



