18 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1906. 
in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico from nega- 
tives taken by Doctor Hrdlitka on the Hyde expeditions, contributed 
by the American Museum of Natural History. Important material 
was also received from Dr. H. Pittier, Dr. D. S. Lamb, of the Army 
Medical Museum, Prof. J. E. Tylor, of Oxford, Maryland, and Mr. 
C. Hagenbeck. 
The additions to the collections of technology were exceptionally 
valuable and noteworthy, especially in the section of firearms. This 
was mainly due to the generosity of the United States Cartridge Com- 
pany, of Lowell, Massachusetts, in depositing its unique historical 
collection of small arms, which the company has been assembling for 
some years. It is the finest and most complete collection of its kind 
in the country, and its acquisition places the Museum in the front rank 
in respect to this subject. The collection comprizes 569 pieces, many 
of great rarity, carefully selected to illustrate the art of gun making 
from the beginning to the present time. It is systematically installed 
in 38 mahogany cases furnished by the company and very appropri- 
ately constructed to display their contents to the best advantage. All 
important typical features in the mechanical development of devices 
for throwing projectiles are shown, from the crossbow through the 
advancing stages of matchlocks, wheel locks, flintlocks, guns with 
percussion pill locks, percussion cap locks, and magazine primer locks, 
to the modern types adapted to the use of metallic cartridges. The 
development of breech-loading and magazine guns is well illustrated. 
Many of the pieces are examples of fine artistic work in gold, silver, 
ivory, and other ornamental materials. 
Of the 38 cases in the exhibition 1 is devoted to arbalests, or cross- 
bows; 1 to ancient matchlocks; 1 to Japanese matchlocks and blunder- 
busses; 2 to flintlock muskets used in the war of the revolution; 1 to 
guns made by the United States Government between 1799 and 1860; 
8 to guns used by the United States Army during the civil war; 1 to 
guns used by the Confederate army during the civil war; 1 to breech- 
loading rifles; 1 to repeating arms; 1 to magazine and revolving arms; 
1 to telescope and sporting rifles; 2 to rifles captured from American 
Indians; 2 to musketoons, whaling guns, etc.; 3 to fowling pieces; 1 
to guns used by historical personages; 1 to foreign flintlocks; 1 to 
modern military guns, and 5 to revolvers and pistols. In two special 
cases are a Springfield magazine rifle of the model of 1903, and what 
is considered the most valuable piece in the collection, commonly called 
the Cookson gun, dated 1586. The latter appears to have been made 
by John Cookson, in England, but shows, in features of construction 
and embellishment, certain Spanish, Moorish, or Turkish character- 
istics. It is of superior workmanship and is elaborately and richly 
decorated. The features of most interest are the magazine and auto- 
