40 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ACCESSIONS FOR 1 883, DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES. 



Five thousand three hundred and thirty-nine specimens were re- 

 ceived, making a total now on hand of 40,491. Three thousand 

 five hundred and fourteen different specimens were placed on exhi- 

 bition, making a total display of 24,731. The purely ethnological 

 material is being gradually taken over to the Museum building, and 

 soon the entire main hall of the Smithsonian building will be devoted 

 entirely to antiquities. The great bulk of the collections in this 

 department are in storage, and of this the material on hand for 

 exchange is very large. 



The greater part of the receipts this year are miscellaneous col- 

 lections from all over the world (France, India, Alaska, Central 

 America, and Mexico), but principally from our own country and 

 presented by patrons of the Institution, 



The principal foreign collections are as follows : 



Two hundred specimens from Ometepec Island, Lake Nicaragua, 

 by C. C. Nutting, who was sent out by the Institution. It embraces 

 remains from graves, such as clay vessels, arrow-heads, and rude 

 stone carvings. The collector only got these incidentally, as his 

 principal collection was the birds of that region. 



A collection from Los Novillos, Costa Rica, by M. C. Keith, em- 

 bracing about 15 rude stone images or carvings of human figures. 

 These are now mounted in the National Museum. A collection of 

 casts from the paper moulds received from the Trocadero Museum, 

 Paris, made by M. Charnay and presented by Mr. Lorillard to the 

 National Museum. The collection is too familar to all to need any 

 comment at my hands. There are about 82 reproductions of inscrip- 

 tions, carvings, temples, altars, door-posts, etc., from Palenquey 

 Mexico, J/^r/V/rt;, Yucatan, Chicheni/za, Lorillard City, and other less 

 important places. 



A small collection of about 15 specimens from Alaska, col- 

 lected by McKay just before his death, which will be alluded to 

 later. The collection embraces only a few Eskimo stone imple- 

 ments and carvings. 



So far this year (1884) a collection has been received from J. J. 

 McLean, of the Signal Service, from the shell heaps of Cape Men- 

 docino, Cal., besides the usual number of miscellaneous articles 

 donated to the Institution. 



In the Department of Arts and Industries the various sections have 



