REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19 



British Columbia, Washington) and Oregon. — Much the most important 

 research prosecuted under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution 

 was that by Mr. James G. Swan in the Queen Charlotte Islands. The 

 aid rendered by Mr. Swan to the Institution in its various enterprises 

 is mentioned in many of the preceding annual reports; for more than 

 a quarter of a century his contributions having" been most noteworthy. 

 To him we owe very extensive collections illustrating* the life and work 

 of the Indians of Puget Sound, as also everj'thing relating to the fish- 

 eries of that region, whether prosecuted by the savage or the white man. 

 The aboriginal fishery implements collected by Mr. Swan and exhibited 

 by the United States at Berlin and London attracted very great atten- 

 tion. 



During the past year the Institution was enabled, by the appropria- 

 tion for the prosecution of ethnological researches, to send Mr. Swan 

 on an extended exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands — a region 

 of which but little has hitherto been known. Such is the ease of com- 

 munication with Alaska and the adjacent regions at the present time, 

 and such the extent of travel in that direction, that objects of native 

 manufacture, whether prehistoric or modern, are becoming extremely 

 scarce and very costly. As these characteristics increase day by day, 

 there is, of course, no time to be lost in securing that complete repre- 

 sentation required for the service of the National Museum in Wash- 

 ington. 



Fortunately for this object, the Queen Charlotte Islands have been 

 more out of the way of travel, and much less well known ; and Mr. 

 Swan, with the hearty cooperation of officers of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company, especially of Mr. George, was able, at reasonable rates, to 

 secure a collection of extraordinary magnitude and interest. This, till- 

 ing some thirty boxes, has reached Washington, and is now being cata- 

 logued and arranged. It includes a full series of everything relating 

 to the life and customs of the Indians, and especially to the modes and 

 results of their fishing, which of course constitute a very prominent 

 feature in their life. 



One of the most important results of Mr. Swan's work was the dis- 

 covery of the use of a fish of great food value, known as the Beshowe, 

 or black cod. This is the Anoplopoma fimbria of ichthyologists, and 

 is in no way related to the cod, although improperly so called. It 

 is an extremely abundant fish, easily caught, and when salted keeps 

 well, and is very palatable. Specimens sent by the United States Fish 

 Commission to Boston were smoked and pronounced to be superior to 

 the halibut similarly treated. It is not improbable that an extensive 

 eastern demand can be established for this fish. 



Capt. Charles Bendire, whose official co-operation in the work of the 

 ' Smithsonian Institution has been already referred to, has, during the 

 year, made some interesting collections at Fort Klamath and forwarded 

 them to the Institution. 



