August 17, 1935 THE COLLECTING NET 217 ITEMS OF Mr. Elmer Higgins, chief o{ the Division on Scientific Inquiry of the United States Bureau of Fisheries is now visiting the Woods Hole station with his wife, son and daughter. Mr. and Mrs. O. E. Sette are now visiting the Woods Hole Station of the Bureau of Fisheries. Mr. Sette is chief of the North Atlantic Fisheries Investigation with headquarters in the new biological laboratories at Harvard University. Mr. Picado T. Feliciano, who has been sent liy the Philippine government to investigate methods of hatching in the fisheries of the United States, is now in Woods Hole working at the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. Dr. George Perkins Clinton. Botanist for 33 years at the Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, sailed for Europe on August 7 to attend the Botanical Congress at Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Dr. Clinton carries credentials from Governor Cross to represent the State of Connecticut. While traveling in England, the Scandinavian countries, and in Holland, he plans to make observations on the control of the Dutch elm disease which is now prevalent in sections of New Jersey and New York States and has been making advances in Connecticut. Dr. Roy Waldo Miner, Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History, was at Woods Hole for a short time for a conference with Dr. Paul S. Galtsoff regarding the construction of a coral reef group at the American Museum in New ork. It is Dr. Miner's plan to show the American pearl oyster growing in its natural habitat in the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. It is very likely that a special expedition will be sent by the Museum to make under-water 5photographs and collect material for the proposed exhibit. LESS SERIOUS Residents of Woods Hole will view with pleasure the new hat which Pop Hilton has recently acquired. He wears it to replace the usual sword-fisherman's hat for which he is so famous. Members of the collecting crew were detained several hours Friday night when the driving shaft on the truck broke at Wareham, on their return from stinging perch at Taunton, Mass. The U. S. Bureau of I-fisheries has acquired another sting ray. Jeff Whitney, of Nobska Road, is a volunteer member of the collecting crew. He can be seen on all the boats, and enjoys a summer "just bumming around" INTEREST Items of Interest from Professor W. E. Allen On account of lack of funds for support of her work. Miss Esther C. Allen has discontinued lier researches on biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of films deposited in twenty four to forty eight hours on surfaces submerged in natural sea water at tlie seaward end of the pier of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at La Jolla, California. Some of the more prominent features of the results obtained before discontinuance have been given in papers published jointly with Dr. C. E. Zobell, in whose laboratory of bacteriology most of her studies of material were made. Except for a partial report (in press) covering some of the more general aspects of the results of studies of records of catches of phytoplankton taken daily over a period of ten ears at two Southern California piers. Professor W. E. Allen has temporarily discontinued preparation of papers covering that series. He has decided to do this because the material of more recent ears is showing features of particular value for comparison with those of the first decade, and because of important chemical records obtained in later years for the Institution pier. As soon as the microsco3ic and clerical work has been brought up to date preparation of reports will be resumed. To readers of The Collecting Net who have special interest in this series Professor Allen is willing to give by correspondence such advance information as may be available concerning particular questions. Irom Batavia, Java, Professor Allen has received notice that the paper on "Plankton Diatoms of the Java Sea" under joint authorship with Dr. E. E. Cupp is being published this summer in the Bulletin tin Jardine Botaiiique c Buitcnzonj. No information concerning reprints is available as yet, but the number is probably very small. Readers of The Collecting Net having particular need for this report should send their requests to Professor Allen at an early date. From Director of Fisheries, B. Sundara Raj of the Government of Madras, Professor Allen has received a request to examine "a small collection of South Indian Plankton diatoms" The collection has not been received as yet, but it will probably arrive in time for a tentative list of its important Component to be made early in November, with an authentic list to appear later. If any reader of The Collecting Net has need for the tentative list, Professor Allen offers to send a manuscript copy in response to request as soon as the material has been received and examined.