30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



cabinet was freely open for study to Squior and Davis. Vwrn Lieu- 

 tenant Beklen and Captain Mills, of the United States army, Drs. C. 

 C. Gray and Matthews, fine collections of dresses and implements of exist- 

 ing tribes of Indians have been received. The most extensive series, 

 however, of modern objects of this kind pertaining to the United States, 

 and obtained during the year under review, is that gathered by Dr. 

 Edward Palmer, in the Indian territory, including specimens relating to 

 the Couianches, Kioways, and other neighboring tribes. The collection 

 consists of war implements, such as bows, arrows, shields, battle-axes; 

 hunting and fishing implements, such as hooks, spears, nets, &c. ; a 

 large variety of dresses, ornaments, including ear and finger rings, 

 breast-plates, &c. ; tobacco-pouches, pipes of various materials, bowls, 

 spoons made of wood and horn, a variety of whips, articles used for 

 gambling, including packs of cards made of skins, and bundles of sticks 

 with which bets are decided, from the manner in which they fall v/hen 

 thrown upwards; also floor coverings made of parallel sticks attached 

 by sinews; the whole forming very complete illustrations of the manners 

 and customs of the tribes before meutionel. 



Some of the most important additions of the year to the stone series 

 were included in a collection presented by Dr. Yates, of California. 

 This collection embraced, in addition to a number of characteristic 

 implements of the natives of California, moulds of those found under the 

 lava of Table mountain, and which formed the subject of an animated 

 discussion at the meeting of the American Association in Chicago last 

 summer. It is proposed to make casts from these moulds for distribution 

 to the principal museums in this country and abroad. Exteusiv^e collec- 

 tions were made in Alaska, during the year, by Dr. T. T. Minor, surgeon 

 of the United States steamer Way anda, embracing stone articles of supe- 

 rior finish. Other objects, to which much value is attached, from the 

 same region, have been received from Captain Howard and Captain J. 

 W. White; and very extensive collections made by Mr. Dall are on their 

 way. Mr. E. Macfarlane and Mr. Strachan Jones have furnished con- 

 tinuations of collections previously contributed, in articles relative to the 

 Esquimaux of the northern coast of America. Thanks to the co-opera- 

 tion of the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, among whom may be 

 mentioned Messrs. Eoss, Gaudet, Hardisty, and Kirkby, but especially 

 Macfarlane, the Institution is in possession of what would apj)ear to be 

 a full representation of the life oi' the Esquimaux of that region, as illus- 

 trated by their dresses, weapons of war, their implements for fishing and 

 the chase, household articles, ornaments, &c. 



In this connection mention should not be omitted of a number of 

 interesting stone implements contributed by Mrs. H. E. Schoolcraft, of 

 Washington, the widow of the celebrated ethnologist, some of which are 

 described in his elaborate work on the Indian tribes of North America. 

 Among other articles for which the Institution is indebted to the liber- 

 ality of Mrs. Schoolcraft is a cast of the inscription on Dighton Eock, 



