Miscellaneous Intelligence. 197 



for its meetings and exhibitions a large part of the first and 

 second floors. A full statement in regard to the National 

 Museum as a whole is given by Dr. Rathbun in the volume 

 noted below. 



A brief summary is given of the first accessions to the Museum 

 from the Roosevelt expedition in Africa. The results have been 

 even more important than anticipated, including many excellent 

 specimens, particularly of the skins of the larger mammals. 

 Special funds were provided by friends of the Institution to pay 

 for the outfit and expenses of the naturalists who accompanied 

 Col. Roosevelt, while his own expenses, with those of his son, 

 have been met by himself. Mr. VV. W. McMillan of Juja farm 

 near Nairobi, East Africa, has presented an exceptionally fine 

 collection of living African animals. 



Of other scientific work carried out under the auspices of the 

 Institution may be mentioned the continued explorations by 

 the Secretary, Dr. Walcott, in Montana and the Canadian 

 Rockies, having as their object the study of Cambrian geology 

 and paleontology. Professor J. P. Iddings is now carrying on 

 researches on a Smithsonian grant in Japan, Eastern China, and 

 Java. Miss Alice Eastwood, also as the result of a grant, has 

 re-collected the botanical species from the region of Santa Bar- 

 bara secured by Thomas Nuttall in 1836. Under the Hodgkins 

 fund several investigations have been prosecuted. The state- 

 ments in regard to the Library, the Gallery of Art, the Zoologi- 

 cal Park, etc., are all interesting, but cannot be summarized here. 

 As usual, Mr. C. G. Abbott, director of the Astrophysical 

 Observatory, gives a summary of the work carried on under his 

 direction at Washington, at Mt. Wilson, and on Mt. Whitney. 



2. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, shoioing the Operations, Expenditures, and Condi- 

 tion of the Institution for the Year ending June SO, 1908. Pp. 

 x, 801, with 23 plates, 25 figures, and 4 charts. — The Secretary's 

 Report, which forms the opening portion of this volume, was 

 noticed a year since (see vol. xxvii, p. 196). The general 

 Appendix (pp. 113-801) contains as usual a large series of papers 

 on scientific subjects, covering many lines of scientific activity 

 and discovery. No more well-selected and useful presentation of 

 recent scientific memoirs, in a form to interest the intelligent 

 public, can be found in a single volume. The opening paper is 

 devoted to aeronautics and is profusely illustrated ; aviation in 

 France and wireless telephony follows, then phototelegraphy, 

 and the gramophone ; while on the Natural History side we find 

 reproduced (from this Journal, xxv, 169) the important paper by 

 Dr. Lull on the Evolution of the Elephant, with another on Angler 

 Fishes by Dr. Gill. The volume closes with several biographical 

 papers. 



Recent publications from the" Smithsonian Institution are noted 

 in the following list: 



Report on the Progress and Condition of the U. S. National 

 Museum for the year ending June 30, 1909. Pp. 141. — This is a 

 full and very interesting account of the Museum, its buildings, 



