REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 25 



suggested that these remains, widespread in central and southern 

 Kansas, may be of Wichita origin, and possibly represent some of 

 the Quivira villages seen by Coronado, Humana, Bonilla, and Oriate. 



During the period from December 5 to 12, 1940, and again in 

 May 1941, Dr. Wedel made a brief reconnaissance in the Holston 

 River drainage near Saltville, Va. A number of extremely promis- 

 ng prehistoric village sites and two apparently affiliated burial caves 

 were visited, and a local collection was studied. No excavations were 

 undertaken. The cultural materials indicate some relationships with 

 J^Iiddle Mississippi remains in Tennessee and adjacent States, but 

 pending more extended studies their exact position culturally remains 

 uncertain. 



Walter W. Taylor, Jr., collaborator in anthropology, inaugurated 

 archeological excavations in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. From 

 January 1941 to the close of the fiscal year, Mr. Taylor surveyed a 

 wide area in the various mountain valleys around Cuatro Cienegas 

 and excavated several small caves and one large cave. The principal 

 purpose of this program was to determine the relationship between 

 the prehistoric cave inhabitants in this northern section of Mexico 

 and the inhabitants of similar sites in the Pecos River and Big 

 Bend area of southwestern Texas. A superficial relationship seems 

 evident from Mr. Taylor's field reports, but final conclusions must 

 await a careful comparison of material in the Museum. 



Biology. — During October and November Dr. Alexander Wetmore, 

 Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, visited Costa 

 Rica as part of the program sponsored by the State Department 

 for cultural cooperation with the other American republics. He was 

 received with every courtesy as the guest of the Costa Rican Gov- 

 ernment, and in San Jose, the capital city, he worked at the National 

 Museum and visited and conferred with officials in various branches 

 as well as with scientists in other services. Following this, accom- 

 panied by Dr. Juvenal Valerio Rodriguez, director of the National 

 Museum, and Carlos Aguilar in charge of the zoological collections 

 in the Museum, he crossed by air to Liberia, the principal city of 

 Guanacaste, the northwestern province of Costa Rica. From this 

 base collections of birds were made in the surrounding country. Dr. 

 Yalerio returned to San Jose, while Mr. Aguilar remained for train- 

 ing in zoological field work. Guanacaste is devoted mainly to cattle 

 raising, with small cultivation. Liberia lies on a slightly elevated 

 plain east of the swampy lowlands bordering the Rio Tempisque. 

 For more than 2 weeks Dr. Wetmore and Mr. Aguilar were located 

 at a great hacienda on the southera slopes of the Volcan Rincon de 

 la Vieja where there was access to heavy rain forest on the mountain. 

 Collections were obtained for the National Museum in San Jose as 



