Report of the President JJ 



tributed to the various departments to which they relate. They 



were found to exceed in importance the first estimates, and in 



point of preservation, considering the long storage 



£°?g . in tropical Africa, were a most pleasurable surprise 

 Collection , r , , • , . ■ -n 



to those most deeply interested in their scientific 



value. The 5,800 mammals (erroneously recorded in last 

 year's report as 3,000) are now for the most part fully avail- 

 able for study, the greater part of the large skins having 

 been tanned, and the skulls of the bats, of the insectivores and 

 of a considerable portion of the rodents having already been 

 cleaned and made available for use. The preparation of the 

 skeletal material, however, is unfortunately lagging, through 

 lack of facilities for early completion. 



The fine collection of shrews (Soricidae) was early assigned 

 for elaboration to Mr. N. Hollister, of Washington, and his 

 excellent report thereon has already been published in the 

 Museum Bulletin. The identification of the bats has been 

 about half completed by the Curator, and some other material 

 has been assigned to specialists for investigation and report. 

 Assistant Chapin, of the expedition, is making good progress 

 with the birds, several papers having already been prepared 

 and published ; and an important paper by him on the weaver 

 birds is awaiting publication. 



Early in the year Assistant Curator Andrews organized the 

 Museum's Asiatic Zoological Expedition, financed through 

 contributions from Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Bern- 

 heimer, Mr. George T. Bowdoin, Mr. and Mrs. 

 Sidney M. Colgate, Mr. Lincoln Ellsworth, Mr. James B. 

 Ford, Mr. Childs Frick, Mr. Henry C. Frick, Mrs. Adrian 

 Hoffman Joline and the Jesup Fund, for research in southern 

 China and adjoining areas, and in March sailed for the East 

 as its leader. He was joined later by Mr. Edmund Heller as 

 chief assistant. Mr. Heller is an expert collector and explorer. 

 He was with Colonel Roosevelt in Africa and is well known 

 for his expeditions in Mexico, South America and elsewhere. 

 The first instalments of birds and mammals have already been 

 received, and late reports from the expedition indicate that its 

 work is being prosecuted with excellent results. The expedi- 



