158 Field Museum or Natubal History — Reports, Vol. V. 



these pictures as charms. Thir» is a unique collection made in the course 

 of many years, and its value is enhanced by a complete transliteration 

 and translation of the leirends printed on the cnKravinKS, which Mr. I to 

 hiin.s«'lf has kindly supplic<l. A recent purchase comprises about 390 

 Eskimo objects acquired by Mr. Petersen at Nome, Alaska, during his 

 residence there. The whole collection adds materially to the strcnjjth 

 of present exhibits from the Arctic rc^ons. It is especially notable for 

 the jtr^at variety of fine mammoth and walrus ivories, and small ivory 

 o' 'as car\'etl hair combs, labrets, animal car\-inKS, float plugs, 

 U*;. ...lonin^r^, dart hoad-s. etc., alon^ with many fine larjjcr artifacts. 

 Also some jjravc material is included in this collection. The collections 

 (torn the Far ICast were enriched by the purchase of six exquisite cere- 

 monial ivor>' tablets secured by Dr. John C. Ferjjiison, state counsellor 

 of the Chinese Govcniment. These specimens arc cxcctxlingly rare, and 

 can be obtained only from high officials who inherited them from their 

 forefathers. They come down from the Ming dynasty (1368- 1643), 

 and were u.sctl by dij^itarics of rank for jotting down memoranda and 

 to l>e held in their hands at audiences with the ~" — ir. The moat 

 notable n. •• ion of the year in the field of Latin A:.. ■.-' -xvchaecAogy 

 was a c -. n of artifacts from the region of Casas Oil . Northern 

 Mexico. These were excavated by Captains J. W. Wright and A. T. 

 Cooper at Colonia Dubldn, head-quarters of the American punitive 

 exjxxlition, and presented to the Muscimi through General Pershing. 

 The collection consists principally of stone implements, and includes 

 several of the large rectangxxlar trough-shaped mctatcs, characteristic 

 of this region, which are of considerable interest and very rarely seen 

 in museums. 



The Department of Botany received the following important 

 additions to its herbarium scries during the year: The private herbarium 

 of John Murdoch, Jr., presented to the Museum by his widow. It con- 

 tains 3,332 sheets of plants, principally his pcrsomd collections in 

 Mas^sachusctts, Colorado, California and South Dakota. Other notable 

 accessions were: Ames' Orchids 84; Bebb, Illinois 174; Blanchard, 

 Vermont and District of Columbia 235; Britton, Britton & Wilson, 

 Cuba and I.-^le of Pines 763; Collins, Bermuda 25Q; Cook, Canary 

 Hands 383; Femald, Newfoundland aga; Fumcss, Mexico 91; Gates, 

 Illinois 1,447; Gaumcr, Yucatan 760; Groncmann. Illinois 125; Hr^^r 

 California and Oregon 403; Hill, Illinois and Indiana 1,769; K 

 Massachusetts 18 1; Lansing, Illinois 293; Leibcrg, Oregon 514; Letter- 

 man, Missouri 285; Levine, China 1,046; McDonald, Illinois iix; 

 Ridgeway, Illinois 169; Roosc\*elt African Expedition 135; Standley, 

 Florida 102; Stewart, Galapagos 154; Vascy, Illinois 238; and Walker, 



