REPORT OF NATIONAL, MUSEUM, 1921. 45 



The curator of ethnology finished and handed in papers on the 

 racial groups in the National Museum and on the series of specimens 

 illustrating the history of inventions. He also began the preparation 

 of an account of the stoves and other heating devices in the Museum. 

 A summary of his exploration of 1920 was prepared and an account 

 written on Museum specimens germane to the Pilgrim Tercentenary. 



The examination for publication of the several collections of 

 archeological remains collected in Utah and Arizona by the curator 

 of the division of American archeology for the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology during the past five years was continued. 



The curator of Old World archeology completed a study of Parsee 

 religious ceremonial objects. He also completed a descriptive cata- 

 logue of Buddhist art, which was published during the year by the 

 Museum. The plan of the curator is to continue this series of instruc- 

 tive handbook catalogues. 



The materials in the division of physical anthropology are con- 

 stantly drawn upon for comparisons as well as for new observations. 

 During the year the most important piece of research done on the 

 collections was that relating to the finer modeling of teeth ; but much 

 work was done also on Indian and other bones in connection with 

 the preparation of the pending reports on the Sioux Indians and 

 the anthropology of Florida and neighboring regions. In addition 

 measurements for future use were begun on the valuable Mongolian 

 collection and on the skeletal material from Alaska, the latter in 

 connection with the curator's studies on the origin and affinities 

 of the Indian. 



Doctor Hrdlica performed services for the Department of Justice 

 in differentiating full-blood from mixed-blood Chippewa Indians 

 in important land cases, thereby saving over a million dollars in land 

 and money for the Indians, in accordance with the statement of the 

 department. This is a good illustration of the practical value of 

 studies of recondite subjects. 



Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, Chief of the Bureau of American Eth- 

 nology^, as collaborator in the division of ethnologj^, has assisted 

 materially in the acquisition of specimens through collections made 

 by himself and members of the bureau. 



Dr. Arthur P. Rice, also a collaborator, sent in data, photographs, 

 and ethnological material from Yucatan. 



The department was called upon daily to give information to 

 visitors on many subjects of more or less importance; but little 

 material, and that in the form of photographs with descriptions and 

 publications, was sent to researchers elsewhere. 



It is difficult to estimate the benefits growing out of personal con- 

 tacts with visitors desiring information, but in many cases it is 

 known to have produced results of importance to the Museum. 



