ioo Report of the President 



skeleton, there should be 3,780 in this block), and the prepa- 

 ration of such a multitude of fossil bones has been a slow 

 process ; but it is now well towards completion. 



Approximately seven months' time of one man was expended 

 upon preparation of an interesting collection of fossil mam- 

 mals secured by Mr. Childs Frick from the Pliocene of Cali- 

 fornia. This collection, somewhat unpromising at first appear- 

 ance, is shown by careful preparation work to be of very 

 considerable scientific importance. It represents a stage, the 

 later Pliocene, almost unrepresented in the American Museum 

 collections. 



The reconstruction of the skeleton of the gigantic Eocene 

 bird Diatryma has been continued, a series of duplicates being 

 cast which can be used for sale or exchange. It will shortly 

 be ready to place on exhibition as an articulated "open-mount" 

 skeleton. 



The mural paintings in this hall present the animal life and 

 environment in which our prehistoric ancestors lived. To the 

 six murals previously completed, two were added 

 Age of Man during 1920, representing the appearance and 

 Paintings* n ^ e °^ tne primitive Neanderthal man and of his 

 much higher and artistic successor, the Cro- 

 Magnon type of the Old Stone Age. 



The growing importance of the American Museum as a 

 centre of international research in palaeontology, is again illus- 

 k trated by the visit of Professor H. Matsumoto 

 Research and f fa e University of Tokio, Japan, a distinguished 

 authority upon fossil vertebrates. Dr. Matsu- 

 moto has spent several months upon the study of our collec- 

 tions, especially upon the fossil mammals of the Fayum, 

 Egypt. He has prepared an important paper upon the primi- 

 tive Proboscidean Moeritherium and has other valuable con- 

 tributions under way. 



Dr. W. K. Gregory has published two important papers, a 

 memoir describing the osteology of the Eocene Lemuroid 

 Notharctus and discussing its affinities and bearing upon the 

 problems of the evolution of the Primates ; and a comparative 



