Report of the President 25 



Mr. Miner visited Nahant, Massachusetts, and Passama- 

 quoddy Bay to collect marine invertebrates. Doctor Lutz 

 . . . and Mr. Leng spent several weeks in Cuba, con- 



tinuing their studies of the geographical distribu- 

 tion of insects. Curator Crampton has just left 

 for Porto Rico to make a reconnaissance preparatory to the 

 biological survey of the island which is to be made in conjunc- 

 tion with the New York Academy of Sciences. It is expected 

 that this survey will extend over a period of five years. 



SOUTH AMERICA 



South America presents some of the most interesting prob- 

 lems of animal distribution, and the Department of Ornithol- 



* j o&V has confined its field work during the year to 



Andean ° J . ,. , . ,. , , . 



_. , _ ._ this region, this being the third year of the 

 Bird Life ,, , . , , . . ^ , A 



Museum s special exploration in South American 



bird life. Under the direction of Curator Chapman an ornitho- 

 logical survey has now been made from the west coast across 

 the three chains of the Andes, and much important data on 

 the distribution of bird life have been brought to light. Early 

 in the year, Mr. Chapman, accompanied by L. A. Fuertes, 

 George K. Cherrie and three assistants, visited in person the 

 Bogota region of Colombia and secured more than 2,000 birds 

 from the eastern Andes. In the meantime, Leo E. Miller was 

 continuing his field work in northeastern Venezuela and British 

 Guiana, while William B. Richardson carried on explorations 

 in Ecuador from the arid coast region to the alpine zone of 

 Mount Chimborazo. These latter expeditions were made pos- 

 sible through the generosity of the late George S. Bowdoin. 



Museum exploration has been extended into Paraguay and 

 Brazil under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt, who in- 

 vited the Museum to send two of its collectors with him on 

 his South American Expedition, which left the Paraguayan 

 territory about the middle of December. Colonel Roosevelt 

 bears all the expenses of these collectors, except their salaries, 

 which have been provided by Cleveland H. Dodge. 



The Museum will directly profit by the deposit of the col- 

 lections made by Rollo H. Beck for the Brewster-Sanford col- 

 lection. Frederick F. Brewster, of our Board, and Leonard 



