j6 Report of the President 



modified from a floor group to a panoramic group of con- 

 siderable size. The wax reproductions of turtles of various 

 sizes have been made ; also, the snakes and frogs, and the plants 

 of many species, low oaks, ferns, and flowering herbaceous 

 plants, which make up this Florida association. These await 

 final assembling — which is delayed because of lack of available 

 exhibition space. Much has been accomplished also in the 

 construction of the wax plant accessories for the Sphenodon 

 Group, and valuable accessions of the insect food of this 

 species have been received through the courtesy of New Zea- 

 land museums. Some progress has been made in preparation 

 of casts and skulls for an exhibit to illustrate the poison- 

 ous reptiles of North America. The work is completed on 

 the casts of the gila monster, Heloderma suspectum; on the 

 two rattlesnakes, Cro talus atrox and C. adamant eus; the two 

 ground rattlers, Sistrurus catenatus catenatus and S. miliarias; 

 the moccasin, Agkistrodon piscivorus; and the coral snake, 

 Micrurus fulvius; of skulls, showing the evolution of the hol- 

 low fang and correlated structures, a series of nine is prepared. 

 In addition to the work of herpetology, the editorship of 

 The American Museum Journal has been carried. 



MAMMALS AND BIRDS * 



J. A. Allen,. Curator 



Owing to the absence of the greater part of the staff and of 

 several laboratory assistants in war service, the activities of the 

 department have been greatly restricted. Acces- 

 sions to the collections have also fallen below 

 those of any previous year in its history. The same decline 

 has marked its publications. 



There have been no accessions from field expeditions, from 



which source have come, in recent years about nine-tenths of 



the additions. Also few specimens have been 



.A-CCGSsions 



purchased. These include about 700 bird skins 

 from Peru and desiderata required for exhibition. The acces- 

 sions by donation consisted mainly of animals in the flesh from 



* Under the Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology (see also pages 191 

 to 193). ^ 



