56 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



During the absence of the Assistant Diiector in Europe, Mr. Freder- 

 ick W. True, curator of mammals, rendered most efficient service. 



BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. 



The appropriation made by Congress for the prosecution of ethno- 

 logical researches among the North American Indians was increased 

 at the last session from $35,000 to $40,000. The work has remained 

 in charge of Maj. J. W. Powell, who has furnished the following account 

 of operations during the past year: 



Mound Exploration. — The work of exploring the mounds and other 

 ancient monuments of our country, begun in 1882, was carried on during 

 the year 1883 under the charge of Prof. Cyrus Thomas. 



The same persons, to wit, Col. P. W. Norris, Mr. James D. Middleton, 

 and Dr. Edward Palmer, who were engaged during the previous year, 

 were retained as the regular field assistants through 1883. 



Colonel Norris spent the latter part of the winter and early spring 

 in Arkansas and Mississippi, and made, in the months of June and 

 July, a trip to Upper Wisconsin, Northern Minnesota, and Dakota in 

 order to ascertain the character of the new earthworks found in that 

 northwestern region. The remainder of the year he was engaged in 

 opening mounds in the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia. 



Mr. Middleton's field of operation for the latter half of the winter and 

 the spring was confined to the northern parts of Georgia and Alabama. 

 During the last part of the year he has been carrying on mound explo- 

 rations in Wisconsin and southward as far as Northern Arkansas. 



Dr. Palmer has confined his operations during most of the year to 

 Central and Southern Arkansas and Northern Louisiana. He was en- 

 gaged a short time in examining interesting cave deposits in Central 

 Alabama. 



Besides these regular assistants, Mr. John P. Ragan, Mr. John K. 

 Emmert and Mr. L. H. Thing were engaged for short periods as tem- 

 porary assistants. 



In June Mr. Ragan explored certain mounds in Caldwell County, 

 North Carolina, which had been reported by Dr. J. M. Spainhour, of 

 Lenoir, who also rendered very great aid in this work. Afterwards 

 Mr. Ragan was sent to the southern part of Georgia and into Florida. 

 Mr. Emmert was temporarily employed in opening mounds and graves 

 in East Tennessee, and in investigating the maufactnure of imitations 

 of anciut relics in Western North Carolina. Mr. Thing devoted a short 

 time to the exploration of the earthworks and ancient cemeteries of 

 Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. 



The number of specimens collected during the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1883, as shown by the catalogue prepared for the bureau, is 

 4,110. It is believed that about one-half, or 2,000, of these specimens 

 Trere obtained in the first six months of 1883. The number collected 



