Jan., 1909. 



Annual Report of the Director. 



237 



many of which were missing from those localities. Much attention 

 has been given to securing a series of fresh water fishes for exhibition 

 purposes, and in this connection the Assistant Curator, Dr. Meek, 

 made visits to desirable localities in Illinois and adjacent states, usu- 

 ally in company with Mr. Heim, taxidermist, with the result that 

 valuable material was procured and added to the collection. During 

 the months of May, June, and July frequent visits were made by Dr. 

 Meek and Mr. Heim to Pine and Millers, Indiana, to secure specimens 

 of the large commercial fishes taken at these places by the fishermen. 

 These visits and some collecting done in streams and small lakes near 

 by resulted in securing 76 skins. Of these 9 are mounted and finished, 

 25 are mounted but not finished, and the remainder is unmounted. 

 The skins include 18 species. During the first three weeks of Sep- 

 tember several places along the Illinois River were visited where con- 

 siderable commercial fishing was being done. At these points 98 

 fish skins of 25 species were secured. Dr. Meek, Mr. Freisser, and Mr. 

 Hildebrand spent two days collecting in the Fox River at McHenry, 

 Illinois, securing 12 skins representing 6 species. During his vacation 

 in October Dr. Meek spent two days on Lake of the Woods in north- 

 ern Minnesota and prepared and shipped from there to the Museum 

 32 specimens of large fishes representing 7 species. On the same 

 trip he spent two days on Lake Superior at Marquette, Michigan. 

 One lake trout weighing 25 pounds and one weighing 10 pounds, and 

 a ling of 12 pounds were sent to the Museum. No extended field 

 trips were made during the year for the Division of Entomology but, 

 as usual, a fair amount of local collecting was done both by the As- 

 sistant Curator and his assistant, special attention having been given 

 to the species of Illinois. As a result of similar collecting during pre- 

 vious years, the insect fauna of northern Illinois is now fairly well rep- 

 presented in the Museum's cabinets. From the middle and southern 

 portions of the State, however, little material has as yet been obtained. 

 Several acquisitions were made by means of three non-entomological 

 Museum expeditions. The most noteworthy material received in this 

 manner was that collected by Dr. Dearborn in Venezuela. Mr. Slocum 

 of the Department of Geology also took some insects in Misissippi, and 

 Mr. Ferry likewise brought with him a few interesting forms gathered 

 in Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela. The following is a list of the 

 expeditions : 



Locality. 



Collector. 



Material. 



Costa Rica, Panama, 

 Islands of Curacao, 

 Oruba and Bonaire 



Bird and Mammal Skins. 



