FLORA OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

At the request of Gen. Leonard Wood, Governor General of the Philippine Islands, a plan for the preparation of a flora of the Philippine Islands was drawn up by the Institution, together with an estimate of the cost. This work, which it is proposed will be accomplished through cooperation of the Smithsonian Institution with the Philippine Government, will be of the greatest importance to the agricultural interests, and, since the prosperity of the Philippines is primarily dependent on agriculture, to the islands themselves. In addition to these material benefits, such a flora would be of great value to science, and a large number of specimens of rare and valuable plants from the Philippines would come to the National Herbarium as a result of its preparation.

At the close of the fiscal year funds had not been appropriated for beginning the work.

BAIRD MEMORIAL COMMITTEE.

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of Spencer Fullerton Baird, second secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, February 3, 1923, there was formed early in 1922 the Baird Memorial Committee. It was decided at a preliminary meeting that a public meeting should be held in Washington on February 3, 1923, at which addresses would be delivered and announcements made of the form of memorial or memorials that had been decided upon, and that wreaths should be placed on the grave of Baird in Oak Hill Cemetery, the bust of Baird in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Baird memorial bowlder of the American Fisheries Society at Woods Hole, and the Baird memorial tablet at the Bureau of Fisheries in Washington.

The form which the memorial to Professor Baird should take was not definitely decided upon, several plans having been considered. Among these were a bust or tablet to be erected in the Smithsonian grounds, the establishment of a Baird memorial medal to be awarded for specially meritorious work in science, the publication of a memorial volume of original scientific papers by Baird's associates or followers, and a fisheries exhibit, preferably a museum.

DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIPLE-CHARGE ROCKET.

The development of a model multiple-charge rocket, mentioned in previous reports, for the purpose of demonstrating the principle, is being continued by Prof. Robert H. Goddard, of Clark University, under a grant from the Hodgkins fund.

The specific work of the past year has been the development and test of certain new features which will increase considerably the

effectiveness of the apparatus. A discussion of these, in detail, is deferred for a later report. Additional financial support has been granted for the work by Clark University.

PUBLICATIONS.

A total of 164 volumes and pamphlets were issued during the year by the Institution and its branches. Of these publications, there were distributed a total of 165,196 copies, including 251 volumes and separates of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 20,777 volumes and separates of the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 27,263 volumes and separates of the Smithsonian annual reports, 97,806 volumes and separates of the publications of the National Museum, 14,215 publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 3,159 special publications, 706 volumes of the Annals of the Astrophysical Observatory, 64 reports on the Harriman Alaska expedition, and 812 reports of the American Historical Association.

The Institution carries out one of its chief functions, the "diffusion of knowledge," by means of its various series of publications. They embrace the results of investigations and systematic studies in nearly every branch of natural science, and are distributed, in most cases free of charge, to important libraries, educational institutions, and scientific establishments throughout the world. In order to assist in creating a greater popular interest in scientific matters, the annual report of the Institution has always contained a general appendix consisting of a large selection of authentic, semipopular articles reviewing recent advances in every branch of scientific activity. There is a widespread and growing demand for this publication, showing an increased appreciation of the value of science and scientific investigations.

Besides the annual report, the Institution issues two series of publications, the Contributions to Knowledge and the Miscellaneous Collections. The publications of the National Museum and the Bureau of American Ethnology are mentioned in the reports of those branches appended hereto.

Of the series of Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 9 papers were issued during the year, among them one paper by your secretary in the series on Cambrian Geology and Paleontology, and the usual annual pamphlet describing and illustrating the various scientific expeditions sent out or cooperated in by the Smithsonian Institution.

Allotments for printing.-The congressional allotments for the printing of the Smithsonian reports and the various publications of the branches of the Institution were practically used up at the

close of the year. The allotments for the coming year ending June 30, 1923, are as follows:

For printing and binding the Annual Reports of the Board of Regents, with general appendixes, the editions of which shall not exceed 10,000 copies----.

Under the Smithsonian Institution: For the annual reports of the National Museum, with general appendixes, and for printing labels and blanks, and for the bulletins and proceedings of the National Museum, the editions of which shall not exceed 4,000 copies, and binding, in half morocco or material not more expensive, scientific books and pamphlets presented to or acquired by the National Museum Library

$10,000

37,500

For the annual reports and bulletins of the Bureau of American Ethnology, and for miscellaneous printing and binding for the bureau...

21,000

For the annual report of the National Gallery of Art and for printing catalogues, labels, and blanks__

1,000

For miscellaneous printing and binding:

The International Exchanges ----

The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature_.

The National Zoological Park_.

The Astrophysical Observatory--

For the annual report of the American Historical Association---

200

100

300

300

7,000

77, 400

Provided, That the expenditure of this sum shall not be restricted to a pro rata amount in any period of the fiscal year.

Committee on printing and publication.-The purpose of the Smithsonian advisory committee on printing and publication is to make recommendations regarding the merit and suitability of all manuscripts submitted for publication by the Smithsonian Institution or its branches and also to consider all other matters relating to printing and binding under the Institution. During the past year eight meetings were held and 100 manuscripts acted upon. The membership of the committee is as follows: Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, head curator of biology, National Museum, chairman; Dr. George P. Merrill, head curator of geology, National Museum; Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, chief, Bureau of American Ethnology; Mr. N. Hollister, superintendent, National Zoological Park; and Mr. W. P. True, editor of the Smithsonian Institution, secretary.

LIBRARY.

The facilities of the library have been taxed to the utmost. The number of loans for the fiscal year amounted to 14,436, and as many more books and periodicals were consulted without being taken from the buildings. Interlibrary loans to accredited libraries, where distance permits, are being continued, and in a number of instances arrangements have been made for the photostating of pages from rare volumes not permitted to leave the library.

Each day typewritten lists of original articles appearing in scientific periodicals received for the Smithsonian deposit in the Library of Congress are prepared and circulated among the heads of scientific bureaus under the Institution. These daily bibliographical lists, begun last November at the request of Secretary Walcott, have been well received from the start. Requests have come in for copies from other Government bureaus and research organizations, which it has not been possible to comply with, owing to lack of necessary equipment for the preparation of additional copies. The library now possesses more than a million volumes, pamphlets, manuscripts, and charts, there being 888,128 publications deposited in the Library of Congress, 156,275 belonging to the National Museum, and 35,000 belonging to other branches of the Institution. The number of additions for the fiscal year was 15,796.

As noteworthy additions to the various branch libraries might be mentioned that of the Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen for 1758, 1760, 1808, 1813, and 1814 to the Smithsonian deposit, by gift of the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaften zu Göttingen; Serindia, by Sir Aurel Stein, to the office library, at present deposited in the Freer Building, the gift of the Secretary of State for India; and the second and third volumes of Beebe's Monograph of the Pheasants, added to the library of the National Zoological Park.

NATIONAL MUSEUM.

The year has been an unusually busy one for the Museum, but although of late years its activities have greatly increased and its scope widely extended, the appropriation for its maintenance has remained practically the same for the past 11 years. Much credit is due the members of the Museum's staff for the fine results recorded from year to year. Undoubtedly the most important event of the year was the receipt and installation of the Herbert Ward collection of African ethnologica and sculptures. This collection, one of the most important ethnological units in the world, was brought together by Herbert Ward, an Englishman, who was with Stanley on his famous exploring expedition through Africa. It consists of 2,700 ethnological specimens and 19 superb sculptures in bronze of African natives by Mr. Ward.

An actual beginning was made during the year toward establishing the Loeb collection of chemical types, noted in the 1920 report. Two specially constructed cabinets were received from the Chemists' Club of New York, and a portion of each of seven new chemical compounds discovered in the Department of Agriculture were deposited in the collection. It is planned to solicit all available new chemical material, with the view of eventually making of the Loeb collection a complete series for the use of investigators in chemistry.

The Museum acquired during the year a total of 359,677 specimens. These are described somewhat in detail in the report on the Museum, appended hereto, but it will be of interest to mention here a few of the more important accessions. In anthropology the most important addition was the Herbert Ward African collection mentioned above. A large collection of the brilliant ancient pottery from the ruins of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, was received through the Archeological Society of Washington, and a remarkable series of aboriginal pottery collected by Dr. J. Walter Fewkes in the neighboring Mimbres Valley, N. Mex., was also placed on exhibition. A number of pianos were added by Mr. Hugo Worch to his notable collection, among them a magnificent gilt harpsichord made by Pleyel, Paris.

In the department of biology the outstanding feature of the year's accessions is the collection of about 100,000 insects collected by Dr. William Mann in South America, especially eastern Bolivia. Another important collection of insects was that made by Dr. J. M. Aldrich in Alaska, which numbered around 10,000 specimens. A considerable consignment of biological material, mostly vertebrates, was received from Mr. Hoy, who has been working in Australia under the auspices of Dr. W. L. Abbott. This material brings the important Australian expedition to a most successful termination.

In geology a number of valuable additions were made to the collections, among them specimens of Bolivian tin and tungsten ores from Mr. F. L. Hess; rich examples of carnotite and hewettite presented by the Standard Chemical Co., Naturita, Colo.; eight gold nuggets donated by Mr. Frank Springer; a large mass of meteoric iron from Owen Valley, Calif., the gift of Mr. Lincoln Ellsworth, of New York; a number of beautiful and valuable gems purchased for the Isaac Lea collection through its endowment fund; and a considerable amount of paleontological material, both vertebrate and invertebrate.

The divisions of mineral and mechanical technology have devoted their time largely to a more perfect and permanent arrangement of the great amount of exhibition material already on hand, while the divisions of history, textiles, and graphic arts report many valuable and interesting additions to their collections.

In addition to the explorations and field work mentioned earlier in this report, the Museum sent out or cooperated in various other expeditions. Mr. Arthur de C. Sowerby continued his work in China under the auspices of Mr. Robert Sterling Clark, who generously contributed all the material collected to the Museum. A shipment of vertebrates and other biological material was received from this expedition during the year. Mr. Paul C. Standley.