KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY 39 



The Precancel Stamp Society, through Mr. Walter L. Gates, con- 

 tinued its development of the collection of precancel stamps, a series 

 augmented by gifts from Mr. Gates personally. 



To the Loeb collection of chemical types 102 samples were added 

 during the year, bringing the total number of specimens to 1,092. 

 There is assurance of hearty cooperation in developing this collection. 



EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD WORK 



Through explorations financed by special funds made available by 

 friends of the Institution, through a variety of cooperative arrange- 

 ments with other organizations, and to some extent from funds pro- 

 vided under the Museum appropriations, there have come many 

 valuable specimens and much new information in various fields of 

 science. A brief resume of some of the important explorations and 

 field work under the National Museum folloAvs: 



In the Alaskan field, Mr. Henry B. Collins, jr., and Mr. T. Dale 

 Stewart, under funds supplied by the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, the Council of Learned Societies, and the 

 United States National Museum, conducted field work during the 

 summer of 1927 on Nunivak Island, on the Bering Sea coast of 

 Alaska. Explorations of several ancient village sites were carried 

 out and anthropological measurements of the natives and observa- 

 tions on their social life were made. In addition much anthropo- 

 logical material was gathered during landings along the coast on the 

 journey to the site of the season's investigations. The material col- 

 lected includes an excellent series of skeletal remains and numerous 

 valuable objects of material culture. 



Mr. Herbert W. Krieger, through a grant from the National 

 Academy of Sciences, and funds supplied by the Bureau of American 

 Ethnologj^, visited the old site at Bonasila, Alaska, for remains that 

 had attracted Doctor Hrdlicka's attention the year before. Unfore- 

 seen high water in the Yukon prevented complete examination, but 

 important information and specimens dealing with ancient Eskimos 

 were obtained. He also collected ethnologica from Eskimo in several 

 villages on the Yukon. During this same season Mr. Krieger con- 

 tinued archeological investigations along the Columbia and Snake 

 Rivers, bringing in many specimens, some of which, from the Snake, 

 appear to represent an outlying site of Pueblo Indian culture. 



Mr. Neil M. Judd, on detached detail, worked for the seventh field 

 season at Pueblo Bonito, in Chaco Canyon, N. Mex., as director of 

 the National Geographic Society's archeological exploration of 

 that ancient pueblo. Through the interest of the society there has 

 been uncovered and set in order for inspection of the public one 

 of the largest pueblos of the prehistoric period as it stood perhaps 

 1,000 years ago. Mr. Judd was occupied this season principally in 



