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The Head of the Department wishes to acknowledge here the generosity of an American Entomologist, stationed in the Philippine Islands and Honolulu, who has defrayed all the costs of a full time beetle-collector in this Colony.
GIFTS. The Head of the Department desires to acknow- ledge gifts of literature received from a number of scientific institutions. In particular from the California Academy of Sciences, the Entomological Society of the Hawaiian Islands and the University of Michigan.
Seeds and Plants have been given to the Department by the Director of Forestry, Manila, P.I.; the Director of the Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, Java; the Director of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, S.S.; Dr. A. Kerr, Bangkok, Siam; the Professor of Agriculture, Lingnam University, Canton, China; and by others. Nearly 50 packets of seeds of plants native to New Zealand have recently been presented.
sent to
In return a few plants and seeds have been Buitenzorg, Singapore, Honolulu, etc. Several of the plants introduced last year from Manila and Singapore have been suc- cessful and plants or seeds have been distributed to friends in the Colony for more extended trials.
Dr. Herklots also desires to thank Captain Petroff for his interest and help in obtaining rare marine fauna from Aberdeen and other localities also Major F. Harris, R.A.M.C. and Major R. A. Anderson, R.A.M.C. for snakes obtained from the military camps. The department has distributed a number of named venomous and non-venomous snakes to St. Stephens' College, Stanley, and elsewhere.
TRAVEL.-The Head of the Department visited Lingnam University, Canton, in February as the guest of the Professor of Agriculture. He gave a lecture to the Biological staff and senior students.
In June he visited Shanghai, Nanking and Pekin; in the last two cities he visited 7 Universities and Institutions where Biology is taught and studied, and met a number of the leading Chinese biologists.
In July the Head of the Department attended the 2nd Chinese Marine Biology Summer School at Amoy University.
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Here at Amoy with the aid of his two Chinese collectors from Hong Kong he carried out a Bryological survey of the island. The mosses have been named by Mr. H. N. Dixon, England's leading authority on the group, and have proved of interest in several respects. The Reader in Biology wishes to acknowledge here the receipt of a grant covering passages to and from Amoy At voted him by the Marine Biological Association of China. Amoy contact was established with Chinese biologists from the leading Universities in the country.
In August the Head of the Department was the guest of the Director of Forestry at Manila and at the Forestry School, Los Banos, P.I. He gave a short course of 4 lectures to all the forestry students (about 100) and one lecture to the staff and senior agricultural students. In the forest a collection of Bryophyta was made and the material sent to England for de- termination; also a number of ferns were collected at the request of the Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, S.S., and sent to him. Dr. Herklots wishes to acknowledge here the courtesies and kindnesses shown to him by American and Filipino members of the Forestry and Agricultural Schools of the University of the Philippines.
VISITORS. The Department has been honoured by the visit of several distinguished biologists during 1931.
Mr. W. Birtwistle in charge of the Fisheries Department S.S. and F.M.S. (who very kindly gave a lecture to the 1st Year students). Professor A. Herre of Stanford University Cal. U.S.A., (one of the senior American Ichthyologists). Professor L. R. Jones of the University of Wisconsin. Dr. H. L. Lyon in Charge Department of Forestry H.S.P.A., Honoulu. fessor R. L. Pendleton of Los Banos (seconded to take charge of the Soil Survey of China); and several Chinese and foreign biologists from China and Japan.
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PUBLICATIONS.-The second Volume of the Hong Kong Naturalist," edited by Dr. Herklots and Major H. P. W. Hutson, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., R.E. has been published. This consists of 324 pages including nearly 200 illustrations of which 9 are in colour. The first number of Occasional Notes" of the Hong Kong Horticultural Society edited by Dr. Herklots was published in February.
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