102 REPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OP NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



ceremonial objects of great value, acquired by purchase from Mr. D. 

 W. Harris, of Louisiana. 



ETHNOGRAPHY. 



Dr. Edward Foreman has been constantly employed since June 1 in 

 cataloguing the ethnographic material. The most important accession 

 of the year consists of forty-four boxes obtained by Col. James Steven- 

 son from the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest, the contents of Which 

 have been placed on exhibition in temporary cases in the northeast range* 

 of the new building. 



Among other important collections are those made by Messrs. Lucien 

 M. Turner and E. W. Nelson, Signal- Service observers in Alaska; a con- 

 siderable collection of objects obtained by Commander L. A. Bear.dslee, 

 IT. S. N., the most of which were devices made by the Shamans of the 

 Northwest coast, including a series of curiously carved and painted 

 rattles, a wand similarly decorated, a' wooden spoon, «&c., all of them 

 bearing superstitious figures and employed by the medicine men in the 

 use of witchcraft and in expelling disease ; a few Indian implements 

 obtained by C. J. Hering from Surinam, and a collection of 34 masks 

 from Japan, used by the actors in the mediaeval lyric drama of that 

 country, known as '-No," and obtained through the First Manufactur- 

 ing and Trading Company of Tokio. 



During the year. General Horace Capron deposited a valuable collec- 

 tion of Japanese materials, obtained by him while in the service of that 

 government. 



MAMjMALS: FREDERICK W. TRUE. 



In the department of mammals there have been fifty-five accession 

 lots and 97 entries in the catalogue. Little has been done with the 

 exhibition series during the year, an early removal of the collections to 

 the new building being contemplated. Cases for their reception are now 

 in progress of construction. Mr. True, acting curator of the department, 

 reports the following census of mounted mammals : 



Monkeys and lemurs 24 



Cats 20 



Dogs and hyenas 31 



Weasels, otters, &c 125 



Bears, raccoons, &c 9 



Pinnipeds 30 



Oxen and sheep 14 



Deer 9 



Hogs 4 



Ehinoceros 1 



Tapirs 2 



Bats 8 



Moles 17 



Eodents 300 



Edentates 30 



Marsupials and raonotremes . . 56 



Casts: Monkeys 2 



Seals 2 



Elk 1 



Porpoises 10 



Total 695 



