Report of the President 61 



In regard to research and publication, the most important 



work the department has in hand is the preparation of an 



^ , extensive bibliography relating to fishes and fish- 



Research i_ J- I- rr> ^ „«. 



eries, under the direction of Curator Dean. This 



work takes stock of all that has been published in this field, 



and when completed will be invaluable to all students 



of fishes. It will help to do away with a good deal of the 



repetition of earlier investigations, which, without such a 



reference work, is inevitable. It is hoped that the volume 



in preparation will be ready for press in the early summer 



of 1914. 



In addition to this, the officers of the department have con- 

 tinued the study of the anatomy, evolution and systematique of 

 various groups of living and extinct fishes. Several bulletins 

 dealing with these subjects were sent to press during the year, 

 and a number of other, more extended, studies along these 

 lines are now nearing completion. 



Greater progress than in previous years has been made 



along two lines, namely, exhibition work and study collection. 



_ . . ■ ., Notable in the former are two new "life 



Existing Reptiles „ ... 



« _ . . study groups: one, the Lower California 



and Batrachians -.*,.. \ . t . • 



Group, taking its place on exhibition in 



December; the second, the Toad Group, nearing completion. 



The Toad Group represents several years of field study on 



the part of the Associate Curator before entrance on the 



staff of the American Museum; the Lower California Group 



stands for field work by the "Albatross" expedition under 



Charles H. Townsend, made possible by the courtesy of the 



Department of Commerce and Labor at Washington and the 



generosity of Arthur Curtiss James. 



The California Group, with its lizards and snakes fitted to 



endure existence in the desert and showing the brilliant hot 



sunshine, sand, cacti and volcanic rock of a Lower California 



island, is in striking contrast with the other groups which 



represent aquatic animals and moist situations in temperate 



North America. The background of this group is by Hobart 



Nichols of the National Academy. In the construction of 



these groups new problems of technique have been encountered 



and successfully solved. 



