MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. O 



Though with distinct economic bearing, the work of the Grampus, 

 is placed upon a reliable scientific basis, through the establishment 

 of oceanographic and plankton stations, and by the accumulation 

 of data dealing with temperature, salinity, the abundance and 

 distribution of food-materials, etc. 



Dr. G. M. Allen, at the invitation of and accompanied by Prof. 

 Theodore Lyman, spent four weeks collecting in the southern 

 Sierra Nevada, Cal. The collection made at the edge of the 

 desert and at 11,000 feet on Mt. Whitney consists of insects, rep- 

 tiles, and mammals; of the last about seventy specimens were 

 secured, including several species new to the Museum collection. 

 Dr. Allen, collecting at Tupper Lake, N. Y., at the invitation of 

 Dr. Barbour, secured a series of several eastern mammals some 

 of which show "a differentiation from their coastal representa- 

 tives." 



Mr. W. F. Clapp's field work included collecting in Lake Cham- 

 plain in the vicinity of Chimney Point, Vt. With the aid of the 

 Rev. R. K. Smith, very large series of nearly all the species of 

 mollusks reported from the region were obtained. 



Dr. P. E. Raymond, during two brief trips to the Mohawk 

 Valley, N. Y., and one trip to Pennsylvania occupying two weeks, 

 collected a large number of interesting fossils. 



Dr. G. M. Allen has continued his services for three days each 

 week; with the exception of a few unprepared skins of large species, 

 the entire series of skins of recent mammals is catalogued and 

 arranged in scientific sequence. Dr. Allen also reports consider- 

 able progress in the rearrangement and the incorporation into one 

 series of the osteological and fossil collections of mammals. 



A large amount of routine work upon the collection of birds 

 has been accomplished by the Associate Curators, Mr. Outram 

 Bangs and Dr. J. C. Phillips. This work consists not only of the 

 identification, cataloguing, and arrangement of current accessions, 

 but a review, in connection with the Lafresnaye and other collec- 

 tions of birds received from the Boston Society of Natural History, 

 of the entire series, both exhibition and research, of the Museum 

 collections ; though time consuming, this work improves both series 

 and emphasizes the deficiencies in each. Another time consuming 

 but unavoidable labor is the response to calls for the loan of 

 material for scientific study. These calls, also frequently made 

 for mammals, have increased noticeably during recent years, 

 an increase due to the growth and recognized importance of the 

 Museum collections. 



