cate, briefly, the character of the more important additions to the Museum in systematic sequence with some reference to the result in increasing our knowledge of particular regions.

Anthropology.-Beginning with anthropology as the most interesting and important of such additions, I may refer again to the collections made by Mr. Nelson at Saint Michaels. These are very exhaustive and complete, and taken in connection with those sent by Mr. Lucien M. Turner from the same region supply a very full illustration of manners and customs of the Indian and Esquimaux races found in northwestern America. A special feature of Mr. Nelson's collection, like that of Mr. Turner, is the immense variety of carvings in bone and wood, representing various animal forms either in contour or in simple lines; the latter calling to mind the engraving upon bone, especially of antlers of reindeer found in the caverns of France and Germany, and throw much light upon the region and character of these remains. Many models of boats, traps for securing animals, fishing apparatus, articles of clothing, and many other objects constitute the mass of the great collection sent by Mr. Nelson.

Not at all inferior in interest, and only less in extent, are the collections of Mr. Kumlien made by him during several months' residence at Cumberland Gulf, in Arctic America, and on the opposite coast of Greenland. They include great numbers of ancient stone implements found in the Esquimaux graves, and supply a previous deficiency in the collections of the National Museum. There are also many articles of dress and adornment, implements of war, and the chase, &c. In the last year's collections of both Mr. Nelson and Mr. Kumlien are many stone implements, objects of horn, bone, or wood, illustrating in a very high degree the functions and applications of certain articles of stone familiar to the American archaeologist, the uses of which were previously conjectural. These embrace scrapers, knives, planes, gouges, drills, and many other articles.

During the past year the attention of the Institution has been called especially to the subject of the soap-stone quarries, where the aborigines obtained their material for soap-stone bowls, dishes, &c., constituting so common a feature in American archæology, but the source of which has been heretofore but little noticed. Of these quite a number were met with during the year, and an examination more or less extensive has been made of each under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. During the spring of 1875, some specimens of steatite were received from the quarry of John B. Wiggin, in Chula, Amelia County, Virginia. Among these were fragments of rude vessels, which, from their number and unfinished condition, were regarded as indicating that the place in question was once an aboriginal mine. Mr. Wiggin was requested to carefully save and forward all specimens of the kind which he might discover; and the receipt from him during the centennial year of an additional collection proved beyond doubt the correctness of the conjecture.

Inasmuch as, at the time, no quarry of this kind had been discovered,* and as, moreover, aboriginal methods of mining and working pot-stone were entirely unknown, it was thought advisable to have a careful exploration of the place undertaken, which was intrusted to Mr. F. H. Cushing, who visited the locality in June last, causing excavations of sufficient extent to be made to reveal a large portion of the rocksurface worked by the Indians. Again, in August and September, furnished with suitable instruments, and a complete photographic outfit, he continued these investigations, and, with the sanction and kindly aid of Mr. Wiggin, was enabled to greatly extend the diggings, thus making his examination very thorough and sufficient.

The surface indications of aboriginal quarrying were found to be shallow circular depressions, from ten to seventy feet in diameter. Mr. Cushing began operations by causing a space of earth, 60 feet in length by 40 in width at the base, to be cleared away from the center of the largest of these depressions. Everywhere over the rock-surface, thus exposed he found grooves and hollows made by the Indians in taking out sugar-loaf shaped masses of the rock; and throughout the soil removed he found numerous fragments of these masses mostly hollowed as the beginning of pots, together with equally numerous rude quartzpicks, some broken axes and mauls, and a few hammers of soapstone, which had been used in quarrying and working the material.

From the base of the triangular excavation a cutting was made, about 17 feet in width by nearly 40 in length. This was extended to the left 18 feet, to remove the earth from around a large out-cropping bowlder, from the base of which it was found that the Indians had cut the rock away piece by piece, until only a slender stem remained as its support. Another extension, nearly 40 feet to the right and 30 feet wide, laid bare one side and the center of a second quarry almost as much worked as the first. From this last a ditch 3 feet wide was carried forward more than 80 feet, all along the course of which were found Indian cuttings wherever the rock-surface was exposed. Thus the area worked over by the aborigines in one direction was shown to be not less than 180 feet. How far to either side of this their work extended can only be conjectured. The number and extent of those depressions not excavated, however, seemed to indicate that less than one-third of the Indian work was exposed by the diggings just described. Mr. Cushing not only procured from the earth removed, a collection of several hundred specimens, but also made and brought away photographic views and accurate plaster models of portions of his diggings.

Attention being drawn to these explorations while in progress by notices in some of the Washington newspapers, Mr. Elmer R. Reynolds, of the city, brought to notice some similar specimens of vessels which he had found within the District, on Soapstone Run, a branch of Rock Creek,

* Intelligence had been received of some surface workings in Chester County, Pennsylvania; so slight, however, that they could hardly be regarded as quarryings.

which were recognized at once as indications of another quarry, and Mr. Cushing was directed to make a thorough examination of it. Here, as in Virginia, depressions along the hill-side in which the quarry occurred showed that the Indians had worked the underlying ledge, although excavations subsequently made revealed the fact that they had depended mainly upon surface material for their supply. Large numbers of unfinished vessels, quartz-picks, hammer-stones, &c., were here found.

Another quarry has been repored by its proprietor, Mr. M. E. Holmes, as occurring on the right bank of the Potomac above Little Falls. This, though rich in ancient remains, has not yet been thoroughly examined by the Institution.

Mr. J. D. McGuire, of Ellicott City, Maryland, called our attention to still another quarry, not unlike the one on Rock Creek, and remarkable for the fine specimens of Indian work that it furnished. Through the hospitality and kind assistance of this gentleman, Mr. Cushing was enabled during the month of December to make a personal examination of the place, and secure for the museum nearly two hundred superior specimens.

It may be well to add that since the discovery of the Virginia quarry, public attention having been drawn to this kind of research by widely circulated newspaper notices, similar sources of aboriginal supply have been discovered in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Wyoming, from several of which the Institution has already received specimens.

An aboriginal quarry, recently discovered near Providence, R. I.. on the farm of Mr. Angell, was visited by myself in July, accompanied by Professor Jenks, through whose assistance I was enabled to obtain specimens of the unfinished pots and of the mining apparatus.

Reference has already been made to the plans of an extensive work on the American Stone Age, to be prepared under the direction of the Institution, to serve as a manual for this department of archæology. The publication of the circular referred to as among the publications of the Institution for 1878 has been of great benefit in bringing in both large and small collections, as will be seen by reference to the list of donations. Every part of the country is represented in these returns, which are so many indeed as to render it somewhat invidious to select any for special notice. Justice, however, to the contributors, makes it proper that I should mention a few of these in greater detail.

The first collection to be noted is that presented by Mr. A. B. Crittenden, of Middletown, Conn., a large and extensive one, made during several years of effort. This is particularly rich in the shell heap or Kjökenmoedding deposits, from Cape Cod, showing a variety and complexity not previously exhibited.

To one correspondent, Mr. J. E. Gere, of Riceville, Wisconsin, of the Institution, is indebted for an important increase of its collection of ancient copper implements. Mr. Gere, during a visit to the Institution,

three years ago, had his attention called to the paucity of such objects in the National Museum, and offered his assistance in obtaining and forwarding such specimens. As the result of his promise, the Institution has received from him during the year a large number of these articles, greatly adding to the variety of the series. Masses of native copper, plowed up by Mr. Gere on his own farm, were sent to illustrate the source of the material of these implements, and to show that it does not necessarily follow that it must have been obtained in barter or otherwise from the copper mines of the Lake Superior region.

From Mr. William Brady, of Minong, in the Lake Superior region, was received a barrel of hammers, used by the ancient miners in that vicinity, enabling us to make a very interesting comparison between these and corresponding instruments used by the Indians in working the soapstone quarries already referred to.

The collections received from Dr. Frank L. James, of Arkansas, are of great beauty and variety, as also those from Professor Randle, of Kentucky.

The result of long-continued examinations of shell mounds in Florida by Mr. Henry J. Biddle, of Philadelphia, is also of very great value.

Dr. Benjamin H. Brodnax, of Louisville, in continuation of previous sendings, has contributed articles of special interest; and the collections made in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by Dr. T. H. Bean and Mr. Galbraith, have also added greatly to the specimens from that State.

Among the more important collections received from regions outside of the United States is a number of implements, vases, &c., from Peru, presented by Mr. W. W. Evans, who has been for many years a correspondent of the Institution, and a contributor to the National Museum. The archæology of Japan is represented by collections received from Professor Morse, consisting of shell-heap pickings and mound diggings on the Japanese coast. The fragments of pottery in this collection are rude and unfinished, scarcely more advanced than those found in the ancient graves and mounds of North America. They are supposed to have been the production of the Ainos of the early days, who are believed to have occupied, at one time, the entire country.

An interesting contribution to European anthropology was made by Professor Kollmann, who presented a series of crania of the earlier, although scarcely prehistoric, inhabitants of Germany.

Mammals. While many single specimens or small collections of mammals have been received from various parts of the country, those received from Lieut. George M. Wheeler, of the Engineer Bureau, representing quite a variety of species, collected by Mr. Henshaw and other collaborators of the survey, deserve special mention.

A series of the seals of Arctic America, both of skins and skeletons, brought back by Mr. Kumlien, supplies a very important gap in the collections of the National Museum, exhibiting the variations of condition

in several species, from the fœtal to the adult state, of both sexes, with corresponding skeletons of all these gradations.

The collection brought by Mr. Zeledon includes nearly all the known mammals of Costa Rica, from the largest to the smallest, and in most admirable condition of preservation, well fitted to mount for exhibition in the National Museum.

The Zoological Society of Philadelphia has presented a specimen, in the flesh, of the Aodad (Ovis Traglelaphus), which died in the menagerie of that establishment.

From the Public Library and Museum at Calcutta, in India, under the direction of Mr. Murray, was received quite a number of specimens of Indian mammals, including skins of the smaller kinds, and a considerable number of stuffed heads of tigers and other felidæ, as well as several crania of much value.

Birds. The collections of birds received during the year have also been extensive and important, as shown by the number of specimens entered in the record book. Principally noteworthy is the donation by Mr. George B. Sennett, of Erie, Pa., of a series of the collections made by him during the preceding year in the vicinity of Brownsville, Tex. This embraces several species new to the Museum. In view of their admirable preparation, it is proposed to mount the greater part of them for permanent exhibition in the Museum.

From Dr. James C. Merrill, U. S. Army, stationed at Brownsville, Texas, was also received a very acceptable collection of skins and eggs of birds, from that region.

The collections of Mr. Nelson in Alaska and of Mr. Kumlien in Arctic America, already referred to, embrace many species of much interest, although none actually new to the Museum.

The more important addition made to the collection has been a series of oceanic birds, found off the coast of the United States. Mr. Raymond L. Newcomb having been sent out by the Smithsonian Institution on board the schooner Marion, Captain Collins in command, for the purpose of ascertaining what were the birds occurring on the fishingbanks, in such numbers as to be serviceable in furnishing bait for the capture of codfish, he brought back a large and well-prepared collection, embracing some quite rare species, although none previously unrepresented. Some of the plumages were new, and it became possible, from the collections and his notes, to interpret the meaning of various appellations employed by the fishermen.

For the assistance rendered to Mr. Newcomb, as well as in furnishing information to the Fish Commission, Captain Collins and his crew deserve special mention.

Of extra-limital collections, those made by Mr. Fred. A. Ober in the West Indies, referred to in another part of this report, are of particular value and importance. As the result of these the National Museum is now in possession of by far the most complete series extant of birds of