82 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



myths of the Zuni Indians. A portion of the manuscript was submitted 

 for editorial revision in May, and the remaining chapters were reported as 

 nearing completion at the end of the fiscal year. 



As noted in the last report, an exceedingly valuable ao<:]uisition was 

 made through Miss Alice C. Fletcher in the form of the Pawnee ritual 

 known as the Hako; but on arranging the material for printing certain 

 breaks were found which seemed of such importance as to warrant post- 

 ponement of publication pending further efforts in the field to complete 

 the ritual. Accordingly Miss Fletcher revisited Oklahoma, and afterward 

 brought her principal informant to Washington, where the record was 

 finally completed. The ritual is remarkable for extent and completeness, 

 for the clear light which it throws on archaic customs and beliefs, and for 

 the systematic and harmonious development of the musical and terpsicho- 

 rean features. The original record was olitained by aid of the grapho- 

 phone, and this record was then written in words and musical notation, 

 and afterward verified by repetition. On the whole the ritual is one of the 

 most complete ever acquired by the Bureau, and is in every way worthy 

 to be regarded as a type of aboriginal ritualistic production. The final 

 arrangement of the material was nearly complete at the close of the 

 fiscal year, when the work was interrupted by Miss Fletcher's temporary 

 absence from the city. 



DESCRIPTIVE ETHNOLOGY. 



During the earlier portion of the year Mr. F. W. Hodge continued the 

 preparation of the Cyclopedia of Native Tribes in connection with edi- 

 torial work, his progress in both lines being highly satisfactory. On 

 January 31 he resigned his connection with the Bureau to accept a posi- 

 tion in the office of the Secretary. The Cyclopedia material was then 

 turned over to Mr. Mooney, who has made some progress in preparing it 

 for publication. 



During the earlier months of the year Col. F. F. Hilder was, by tem- 

 porary transfer, engaged in making collections in the Philippine Islands 

 under the auspices of the Government Board of tlTe Pan-American Expo- 

 sition. After his return he resumed his duties as ethnologic translator 

 and continued the transcription, translation, and annotation of an early 

 Jesuit manuscript history of Texas, obtained through the instrumentality 

 of the Bureau, but now preserved in the Library of Congress. The sketch 

 was found rich in important ethnologic data, and the anonymous author 

 was identified by Colonel Hilder, through collateral information, as Padre 

 Morfi. The work was nearly completed when brought to a premature 

 end by the sudden death of Colonel Hilder on January 21. 



COLLECTIONS. 



As usual, the several collaborators engaged in field operations made more 

 or less extensive collections for purposes of study and for ultimate transfer 

 to the U. S. National Museum. The largest collection of the sort was 

 made by Mr. McGee among the Cocopa Indians. It comprised domestic 

 utensils of wood, stone, and clay; several bows with arrows; war weap- 

 ons; complete suits of women's apparel; cradles; decorative and symbolic 



