Supplementary Notes {No. II) to an Essay on Ancient Haivaiian Feather Work. 

 7? I' William T. Brigham, Sc.D., Direfior of the Beniice Pauahi Bishop Museiim, 

 Honorary Felloiv of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 



WHEN in the first part of the first volume of the Museum Memoirs, a formal 

 account of the ornamental feather work of the ancient Hawaiians was given 

 to the public in 1899, it was hoped that all of the few remains of this perish- 

 able fabric might be recorded in the archives of tbis Museum and where possible figured. 

 The public museums of Europe and America were ready to contribute their specimens 

 in photograph and sometimes in colored drawings, even her gracious Majesty of Eng- 

 land, Victoria, ordered excellent illustrations of the specimens recently discovered and 

 then in her private museum in Windsor Castle, to be sent to the author; but the people 

 of Hawaii who should have been interested in this preservation of the good and inter- 

 esting work of their ancestors, did not display these treasures as we might have felt 

 justified in expecting, and doubtless there are still some small specimens carefully pre- 

 served that have not been brought to the attention of this Museum. On the other hand 

 the publication of the material at our disposal led to discoveries quite unexpected, and 

 in 1903 a supplement was published enlarging to a considerable extent our list, mainly 

 from the museums on our exchange list whose officers were on the watch for such speci- 

 mens as might be offered to them. 



In the last journey of the Director of this Museum around the world in 191 2 not 

 only were the rough drawings made in the note books of a previous journey in 1895 

 replaced by photographs and measurements, but many new specimens were brought to 

 light. After the first publication a discovery was made in Petrograd (then St. Peters- 

 burg) of some of the treasures collected on Captain Cook's last voyage. It may be 

 recalled that the expedition when arriving off the coast of Kamchatka was short of pro- 

 visions and in no little distress. Captain Clerke was on his death bed and had named 

 Captain King as his successor, directing the ships to make for what is now Petropaul- 

 ovski seeking supplies. The account of their reception in this desolate looking harbor" 

 (April, 1779) as given in the third volume of Cook's last voyage is one of the pleasant- 

 est episodes in the history of the intercourse of nations. Major Behm the Commandant 

 and later the Captain Shmaleff his successor, furnished the ships with all the provisions 

 desired, absolutely refusing compensation, declaring that the Empress Elizabeth would 

 rejoice to assist Englishmen on such an expedition. In some measure to requite this 

 unexpected liberality "specimens of all our curiosities" were presented to the Command- 

 ant." These were carefully boxed and forwarded to the Russian capital. 



'See the plate in the Atlas of Cook's Last Voyage. "Cook's Third Voyage, 1785. Second edition, p. ^01. 



O ) 



