General Conclusions. 69 



represented by casts or photographs, but the many things not in 

 this museum but still obtainable may be purchased in some ca.ses 

 of the dealers but generally must be collecfted either by our own or 

 the explorers for the other museums who have duplicates. In the 

 latter case we take the leavings at the cost of the best; with our 

 own collecftors we reverse the situation. The purchase of special 

 colleiflions is often best in economy, but the best of all, and if wisely 

 done not the most expensive wa}', is to do one's own colle(5ting, 

 for then every specimen has attached to it a surprising fund of in- 

 formation and is not simply a curiosity. Your trained colledlor 

 sees for himself how each thing is used and generally can obtain 

 its name in the vernacular. If Ethnology is to progress in the 

 Pacific Region this course must be taken, and this Museum which 

 is the largest in this region should undertake at least its share of 

 this work. As the English Scientific Societies sent a trained col- 

 lector to gather the Hawaiian Birds and Insedts, so the Bishop 

 Museum must send one or more men to the groups where vernacu- 

 lar implements are fast disappearing. The Marquesas, Fiji, Her- 

 ve}', Tonga and Society Islands will have little to show the Ethnol- 

 ogist ten years from now. 



This journey has shown how little is to be obtained from 

 other museums, and it has as clear!}- demon.strated that the needs 

 of this and other museums must be supplied from the islands them- 

 selves if at all. And although there are many things in attics and 

 private cabinets that will b}' gift or purchase come to this museum, 

 the}- will be dead things no longer able to tell their name, use or 

 origin, and the money spent for such things, yes every dollar, 

 should be appropriated to the expenses of a collecftor. 



As to the Natural History of our region Mr. Perkins' admir- 

 able work here has shown what treasures there are even in a region 

 so long known and so accessible as the Hawaiian Islands. Groups 

 like Fiji and the Society Islands would probably be nearly as rich. 

 If all the birds and insedts of the chief groups in the Pacific, even 

 omitting Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea, were repre- 

 sented in our cases we should have room for them and do no more 



