REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25 



Central America. — By far the most important collections received 

 from this region is the series of casts from squeezes taken by Mr. Char- 

 nay in the course of his explorations of Mexico and Central America, 

 prosecuted largely at the expense of Mr. Pierre Lorillard, of New York. 

 It is well known that Mexico and several States of Central America 

 prohibit absolutely the removal from their borders of native antiquities, 

 aud it has, therefore, become almost impossible, even as a smuggling 

 operation, to take away any but the smaller and more portable objects. 

 Mr. Charuay, however, was permitted to copy what he pleased, and in 

 the vicinity of the ruins of Palenque, Uxmal, and other localities he suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining the material with which, on his return to Paris, he 

 made two sets of casts. Of these, one became the property of the 

 French Government, and the other of Mr. Lorillard, who kindly trans- 

 ferred it to the National Museum, and paid the expenses of a suitable 

 person to accompany the specimens from Paris to Washington, and to 

 erect them in a room assigned for the purpose. This room has been 

 made the depository of all other collections of a similar character from 

 the same region. These include a large number of statues obtained 

 along the line of the Costa Pica Railroad, and supplied by Mr. Minor 

 C. Keith, engineer of the road. Statues obtained in the same region 

 have also been supplied by Mr. Nutting and Mr. Harrington. 



A very important exploration of Central America, carried on under 

 the direction of the Institution, was conducted by Prof. Charles H. Gil- 

 bert and Mr. C. C. Nutting, both aided in every possible way, first by 

 the issue of free passes on the part of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com- 

 pany, and then by the hearty co-operation of Capt. John M. Dow, the 

 agent of that company at Panama. Mr. Gilbert devoted himself to the 

 study of the ichthyology of the two shores of the isthmus, and collected 

 a large number of species, including many new to science. These were 

 by permission taken to the State University at Bloomington, Ind., 

 where, unfortunately, they were nearly all destroyed by the disastrous 

 fire in which the museum of the university was consumed. 



Mr. Nutting's work was prosecuted mainly in Costa Rica, and he 

 brought back a valuable collection of birds and other objects, as well as 

 some extremely interesting antiquities. Among these was a large stone 

 image, nearly perfect in its character. His most important acquisitions 

 were made on the San Juan River ? at which point six new species of 

 birds were secured. 



Mr. J. C. Zeledou, of San JosC, Costa Rica, also furnished a continu- 

 ation of the results of his extensive explorations into the natural history 

 of his native country. 



A large collection of pottery, stone implements, and some of metal, 

 made in Chiriqui, by Mr. James McNeill, was received by the Institu- 

 tion during the year. 



The services of the United States Government were invoked by 

 Guatemala in the selection of an astronomer to take charge of the run- 



