NOTES FROM THE MUSEUH 



One of the grammar school teachers recently brought her 

 class to the Museum to see Australian animals in connection 

 with the study of the geography of Australia. Birds and 

 animals characteristic of that part of the world were brought 

 into the lectureroom and with the additional assistance of 

 lantern slides Professor Rea explained to the class some of 

 the principles of animal distribution. The Museum hopes to 

 be of service to other teachers and classes in similar ways. 



Professor F. W. Putnam, head of the Peabody Museum at 

 Harvard and of the Department of Anthropology at the Uni- 

 versity of California, recently visited the Museum and spent 

 several days examining and revising the anthropological 

 collection. Among other rare and valuable material this 

 collection includes the oldest specimens known to be in the 

 Museum, especially a native helmet from the Sandwich 

 Islands and other articles presented in 1798 \ Another valu- 

 able specimen is a mummied human head obtained from the 

 Mundrucus Indians of the River Tapajos by Lieut. Herndon, 

 Commander of the United States Expedition to explore the 

 River Amazon, and presented to the Museum in 1854. "These 

 are the heads of their [the Mundrucus] enemies, the Mahuc's 

 of the same district, which the Mundrucus preserve and keep 

 in their houses as a sort of 'Fetish' or charm. Whenever 

 a Mundrucus goes out to work his little plantation of tobacco, 

 plantains, maize, etc. , he puts one of these heads on a pole, 

 and sticks the pole in the earth near where he is at work, as 

 a protection against his enemies and evil spirits." ' 



At the regular mid-monthly meeting of the Natural History 

 Society, held in Manigault Hall, May 15th, the following 

 officers were elected for the summer term; President, Mr. H. 

 R. Sass; Vice-president, Miss Mabel Pollitzer; Secretary, Mr. 

 J. H. Taylor; Treasurer, Mr. J. W. Willson. Mrs. Rea then 



1 See Bull. Coll. Chas. Mus.. Vol. 2, No. 6 (Oct. 1906). p. 49. 



2 Proc. Ell. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 14. 



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