REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 47 



employed was tlie broad portion of the horns of the reindeer or the 

 ivory tusks of the elephant. These carvings exhibit a remarkable ap- 

 preciation of form and composition, undoubtedly derived from constant 

 observation of the wild animals depicted. They chiefly represent the 

 more remarkable quadrupeds, such as the elephant, reindeer, bear, 

 aurochs, &c. These are all exhibited in motion or in striking attitudes, 

 such as leaping, fighting, or flying from pursuit. 



Polynesia. — It is proper here to record an addition to the collections 

 from Commodore John H. Aulick, United States Navy, consisting of a 

 large cape or mantle entirely covered with brilliant plumage of scarlet, 

 gold, and black feathers, derived from birds wlii(;h are extremely rare 

 in that country. It was made for the personal decoration of King 

 Kameliaineha on state occasions, and presented by his Majesty to the 

 commodore when he ofiicially visited the Sandwich Islands, some years 

 ago. From Commodore Magruder, United States i^avy, we have re- 

 ceived several warlike imi^lemeuts of the Feejee Islands. 



Meteorology. — The system inaugurated at the beginning of the In- 

 stitution has been carried on as usual during the past year. The whole 

 number of observers reporting to the Institution during this period has 

 been -479, and to the Medical Department of the United States Army, 

 120, making in all 599. Among these, 1G7 report indications of the 

 barometer and the other instruments, and the remainder those of the 

 thermometer, rain-gauge, and wind- vane. Owing to the necessarily un- 

 settled condition of the army since the war, many changes have taken 

 place in the posts at which observations are made, and therefore the 

 permanent, or, rather, normal condition of the whole system has not yet 

 been established. I say " normal" because, since the observations made 

 for the Institution are from voluntary observers, and some changes must 

 take place in the disposition of troops, therefore more or less variation 

 in the number and locality of points of observation must always occur, 

 and a condition of absolute iiermanency is not to be expected. Nearly 

 all the material that has been collected by the Institution during the 

 last twenty years is in the hands of computers, with the exception of 

 that relative to the rain-fall, which has been discussed and of which the 

 results are now passing through the press. The material relative to tem- 

 perature has been put in charge of Mr. Charles A. Schott, and will be 

 completed during the present year, provided the usual number of com- 

 puters are retained. The discussion of the material relative to the 

 winds of the northern hemisphere, collected by the Institution from 

 various sources, is in charge of Professor Coffin, of Lafayette College, 

 who, with a number of assistants, will press .on the work of its reduc- 

 tion and discussion as rapidly as the means appropriated for the purpose 

 will allow. The previous discussion of the winds of the same region by 

 Professor Coflin, published in the transactions of the Institution, has 

 been adopted as a part of the basis of the pilot charts of the British 

 Hydrographic Office, which fact may serve as an indication of the value 



