22 REPORT OV THE SECRETAR-i-. 



the Kuskoqiiin Elvers, securing over three thousand ethnological speci- 

 mens, of which a considerable portion consisted of articles of carved 

 walrus ivory. Much information was also noted regarding the topog- 

 raphy of the country, as well as about its people and productions. 



In May and June, 1879, the mouths of the Yukon were visited to 

 study the habits of the breeding water-fowl, and a fine series of the 

 skins and eggs of the emjieror goose were obtained. The following 

 winter, from February 9th to April 3, 1880, was occupied in a reconnais- 

 sance of the coast region, from Saint Michael's north to Sledge Island 

 near Bering's Straits. 



A large series of ethnologica was secured, besides copious notes upon 

 the people and their language. November 16, 1880, to January 19, 1881, 

 was occupied in a sledge journey into the interior, beyond the coast belt 

 occupied by the Eskimo, into the country of the Ingaliks or Indians. As 

 on the previous journeys, a large series of ethnologica and field-notes 

 were secured. 



June 25, 1881, through the courtesy of Mr. E. W. Clarke, chief of 

 the Revenue Marine Bureau, the revenue steamer " Corwin" was per- 

 mitted to take Mr. Nelson on board, at Saint Michael's, to accompany her 

 during her cruise in the Arctic, in the course of which he visited Saint 

 Lawrence Island, in Bering's Sea, where about eight hundred Eskimo 

 lierished in a famine two winters before. From this sad mortuary nearly 

 one hundred crania were secured, besides many implements. 



The remainder of the season was spent in cruising along the Alaskan 

 coast as far north as Point Barrow, and along the Siberian coast from 

 Plover Bay, Bering's Sea to]S"orth Cape in the Arctic. Visiting and ex- 

 ploring Herald Island, and a part of Wrangell Island, the " Corwin " re- 

 turned by the Aleutian Islands to San Francisco, arriving there October 

 20, 1881. 



In summing up the direct results of Mr. Nelson's work in the north, 

 the unbroken series of about 12,000 meteorological observations must 

 be mentioned first, since to obtain these was the primary object of his 

 residence there. In addition to these there were obtained about 9,000 

 ethnological specimens, 2,100 bird skins, 500 mammal skins and skulls, 

 400 fishes, and various other specimens, besides vocabularies of seven 

 or eight Eskimo dialects, with accompanying linguistic notes and a 

 large amount of manuscript material ujion all the branches in which 

 collections were made. Over 100 photographs of the people and other 

 scenes were secured during the last year of his residence in the north. 

 The necessary expenses attending this work, outside those appertaining 

 strictly to the meteorological work, were met by an allowance from the 

 Institution, where the specimens are stored at present awaiting the 

 elaboration of the reports. 



During the year 1881 three additional stations were established by 

 the Signal Office — one at Nushigak, on Bristol Bay, in charge of C. 

 L. McKay } one at Uaalashka, in charge of F. L. Ajjplegate, and 



