66 EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



cordance with the plans submitted. The preparation of this work, 

 ■which to a great extent underlies and is the foundation for every field 

 of ethnologic investigation among Indians, was considered of such 

 prime importance that nearly all the available force of the Bureau was 

 placed upon it to the suspension of the particular investigations in 

 which the several officers had been engaged. In addition to the gen- 

 eral charge of the whole work, Mr. Henshaw gave special attention to 

 the families inhabiting the Northwest coast from Oregon northwards, 

 including the Eskimo, and also several in California. To Mr. Albert 

 S. Gatschet the tribes of the Southeastern United States, together 

 with the Pueblo and Yuman tribes, were assigned. 



The Algonkian family in all its branches — by far the most important 

 part of the whole, so far as the great bulk of literature relating to it 

 is concerned — was intrusted to Col. Garrick Mallery and Mr. James 

 Mooney. They also took charge of the Iroquoian family. Mr. J. O. 

 Dorsey's intimate acquaintance with the tribes of the Siouan and Cad- 

 doan families peculiarly fitted him to cope with that part of the work, 

 and he also undertook the Athapascan tribes. Dr. W. J. Hoftman 

 worked ujion the Shoshoniau tribes, aided by the Director's personal 

 supervision. Mr. Curtin, to whom was assigned the California tribes, 

 also gave assistance in other sections. 



Each of the gentlemen named has been able to contribute largely to 

 the results by his iiersonal experience and investigations in the field, 

 there being numerous regions concerning which published accounts are 

 meager and unsatisfactory. The main source of the material to be 

 dealt with has, however, been necessarily derived from books. A vast 

 amount of the current literature jiertaining to the North American In- 

 dians has been examined, amounting to over one thousand volumes, 

 with a view to the extraction of the tribal namesand the historical data 

 necessary to fix their precise application. 



The work at the present time is well advanced tojvard completion. 

 The examination of literature for the collation of synonyms may be 

 regarded as practically done. The tables of synonymy and the ac- 

 counts of the tribes have been completed for more than one-half the 

 number of linguistic families. It is hoped that the volume will be 

 ready for the printer by the end of the next fiscal year. 



ArclKTologic Symbols. — The geographic distribution of archaeologic i)he- 

 nomena being of great importance, and the statute having jirovided for 

 general archseologic research in the United States, it was thought best 

 by the Director to prepare a system of archneologic symbols to be used 

 in the cartography of the subject. In the preparation of such a scheme 

 of symbols those used in Europe were examined, for the jiurpose of 

 adopting the same where possible ; but on careful study of the subject 

 it was found that the phenomena of the two continents differ so widely 

 that no European scheme could be utilized in North America. A new 



