ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 47 



and from the absolute neglect of the collectors to forward any. A 

 little preliminary experience of collectors in the Museum, before 

 going into the field, would impress it forcibly on the minds of such 

 that the descriptive cards should be practically written by the col- 

 lectors in the field. Nelson and Swan have shown the best realiza- 

 tion of this principle. The general form of the descriptive card 

 adapted to the Museum, to accompany each specimen exhibited, is 

 as follows : 



Object, (local or native name) Materials of which made ; 



brief description ; use. Tride or person by which used. 



Dimensions, length, , breadth, , etc. 



Exact locality, i8 — , (date of collection). Museum number. 



How and through whom acquired. 



Fuller and more special notes in smaller type are appended as to 

 origin, special variation in form and use in various localities, notes 

 on the general series of which the specimen is a representative. 



Each object or general series of objects is to be accompanied by 

 such a label or card further supplemented by pictures or photographs 

 when necessary to more clearly illustrate how the object is used or 

 worn, or to show pattern where the object is folded or obscured. 

 The cards are printed on herbarium board. Those on white paper 

 are to send to other museums, preserve as records, and for use in 

 making up the catalogues which will eventually be published. 



(Ed. : Specimens were here exhibited of cards and photographs 

 taken from specimens already on exhibition in the Museum.) 



Cards are now being attached to the specimens already out, and 

 a plan is under way to collect all the ethnological material not yet 

 installed in one large store-room, where it is to be systematically 

 classified. The incoming collections can be distributed according 

 to the plan adopted, and duplicates can be selected before this tem- 

 porary storage. This plan will greatly facilitate the routine work. 



Greater progress has not been made in installing and describing 

 the specimens and collections for many reasons, but principally on 

 account of the various exhibits prepared at the Museum, which have 

 diverted a large part of the force from the regular work, and besides 

 this experiments are being made as to cases and styles of mounting 



