ANTHROPOLOGY. 



By Professor OTIS T. MASON, 



Columuian University, Washington, D. C. 



The year 1878 has been a remarkable one for anthropol- 

 ogy. Although no startling discovery has revealed the an- 

 tiquity, or the zoological and geographical origin of man, 

 yet the boundaries of the science have been better denned, 

 the laborers have been more thoroughly organized, the work 

 has been more zealously prosecuted, and the intelligent pa- 

 trons of science have become more deeply interested. 



In presenting the results of the year's work, the same or- 

 der will be followed that has been observed in former vol- 

 umes of the Annual llecord. The investigation of the re- 

 mains of those races which became extinct without leaving 

 any intelligible inscriptions is generally called Archceologg. 

 The term is subject to a slight objection from its application 

 to the study of the relics of classical and mediaeval times. 

 In France the word Paleoethnologie, equivalent to the English 

 Prehistoric Archaeology, is employed, and divided into three 

 periods, viz. : Geological Archaeology, both tertiary and qua- 

 ternary ; Neolithic Archaeology ; and Archaeology of the 

 Bronze Age and of the first Age of Iron. Much controversy 

 has arisen concerning this terminology, and it is best, there- 

 fore, to regard it as provisional, to say the least. 



The term Archaeology is used in this summary to indicate 

 the science or study of the priscan history of any locality 

 previously to the introduction of written records there. This 

 will constitute the first part of our resume. 



The second part, called Ethnology, in the absence of a 

 more definite title, will relate to those tribes of men which 

 are now in existence, or which have passed away in recent 

 times. In describing a race of men we may regard them as 

 passive objects of investigation as organized beings simply 

 and thus study their natural history ; or we may view them 



