Evening star., 1926-12-10
SMITHSONIAN HAS
/. VARIED ACTIVITIES
40 Expeditions, Covering
Wide Range. Are Reviewed
IN Secretary's Report.

Forty scientific expeditions were
directed by the Smithsonian Institu-
ton during the past year, in spite
OF q serious handicap in funds, and
due mainly to gifts by private indi-
viduals and organizations, Secretary
Charles d. Walcott reveals in his
annual report presented yesterday to
the board of regents
The major expeditions included one
to Algeria, Egypt, India and South
Africa to select a site for a third
solar radiation station to cooperate
with two in North and South America
now operated by the Smithsonian.
This expedition was made possible by
q grant of $4,000 from the National
Geographic Society. They also in
cluded an anthropological survey of
Europe, Southern Asia, Java. Aus
tralia and South Africa, which COW
cred $4,000 miles, in cooperation with
the Buffalo Society of Natural
Sciences an expedition to East
Africa TO collect wild game and
study OF the crustaceans of South
America
Important to Collect.
Archaeology and ethnology claimed
16 Of the expeditions, one in China
and others in regions from Florida
TO Alaska. Geology, paleOntology
and minerology accounted for an
other 10. Botany was represented by
four expeditions to Haiti, Jamaica,
Central America and Europe.
1T is highly important" said the
report that collections of materials
throwing light on the history of the
earth and early man and animal life
be made in the next so years because
or the rapid extinction of thousands
OF species of animals and plants, due
to the encrOachments of civilized
man"
The report indicates that the second
of the Smithsonian's major activities,
the diffusion of knowledge" was
much less successful in overcoming the
handicap of insufficient funds. The
private means of the institution per-
mitted the publication of only eight
short papers in the Smithsonian mis-.
cellaneouS series. One special publ
cation was issued by subscription. The
publications of the National Museum
and Bureau Of Ethnplogy totaled sew
eral volumes
Big Insect Collection.
An outstanding gift to the Smith
sonian recorded in the report was that
of the Doanin collection of lepidoptera
Vamlly OF insects to which butter
flies belong). DR. w. Schaus, honor
ary assistant curator of insects, gath
cred $4,000 from friends of the insti-
tuition to purchase the collection. 1t
consists Of 50 900 specimens of which
5000 are types, mostly from the New
World, and it gives to the Smithsonian
what ls undoubtedly the best repre-
sentatlon Of American species in this
group 10 be found in any museum in
the world.
An Unusual service which the
Smithsonian performs in making the
scientific world a single unit appears
in the report Of the international ex-
changes.
Besides the international exchanges
the report covers the activities Of the
six other Government bureaus which
the Smithsonian administers. These
are the National Museum, Bureau Of
American Ethnology, National Gal
lery of Art, National Geological Park,
Astrophysical Observatory and Inter-
national Catalogue of Scientific Liter
ature. Report is also made on the
Freer Gallery, another unit of the
Smithsonian.
1,1Os,3O5 Museum Visitors.
The museum announces acceSSionS
totaling 24,032 specimens, in addition
TO over thousand lots of material
received Tor examination and report.
Continuing it's policy of cooperation,
the museum gave outright 1857 OBJ
jects to schools and other educational
agencies, while it loaned many thou
sands of specimens to investigators
for study Visitors to the National
Museum for the year totaled Ill
106 305
The Bureau Of American Ethnology
directed the majority of the archeo-
logical and chronological expeditions
carried out by the Smithsonian, and
its staff supplied the personnel It's
work in collecting and recording the
fast St-disappearing native language and
customs of the Indians is considered
of prime Importance to future genera
tionS.
A decided falling off in the number
of art works acquired in recent years
is noted by the National Gallery of
Art, due to the lack of building in
which to house acceSSiOnS