REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 85 



DEPARTMENT OF PREHISTORIC ANTHROPOLOGY. 



In bis annual report the curator, Dr. Thomas Wilson, remarks that 

 the operations of this year have exceeded those of all previous years 

 in the number and extent of the accessions as well as in their scientific 

 vahie. The most important addition, although not a permanent gift, 

 was the extensive collection of Dr. Roland Steiner, of Grovetown, Ga. 

 It consists of 32,478 specimens from the Etowah mounds and from 

 Burke and Columbia counties, Ga. The value of this collection consists 

 chieiiy in the opportunity which it affords for a study of the industries 

 of the aborigines as manifested in their dwellings, burial places, imple- 

 ments, and utensils. The Nicaraguan Government contributed a valu- 

 able collection of pottery and stone objects from the exhibit of that 

 Eepublic at the Madrid Exi^osition. Mr. John C. Meyer, of Eound Top, 

 Fayette County, Tex., presented a large series of rude chipped imple- 

 ments and other objects, including three chipped imx)lements of jasper. 

 Eleven large pottery vases from Argentina were received from the La 

 Plata Museum, through the courtesy of Dr. F. P. Moreno. In addi- 

 tion, the curator makes special mention ot several other accessions, all 

 of which are included in the Accession List (Appendix ii). 



Several important changes having become desirable in the arrange- 

 ment of the entire collection, the curator has devoted himself assiduously 

 to this work, and the operations incident to the arrangement are 

 indicated in his own words: 



In order to effect this task, it was necessary to rearrange, geographically, all 

 the objects in 52 cases, according to the various States of the United .States and of 

 foreign countries; also to rearrange the objects made by or Ijelonging to prehistoric 

 man, contained in 12 cases. The latter have been arranged in two synoptical series — 

 chronological and geographical— one representing Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the 

 other North America. The objects from Mexico, the "West Indies, Central America, 

 and South America were installed in wall cases on the north and west sides of the 

 hall. All of the Pacific Coast objects were segregated and installed in cases by 

 themselves, and the mummies were placed in the long wall cases on the south side 

 of the hall. Two new shelves have been made for each alcove case and 900 specimens 

 of mound pottery placed thereon. The very large specimens were placed above the 

 alcove cases, fronting the aisles, thus giving them a decorative, as well as utilitarian, 

 effect. The prehistoric pottery has been transferred from the Museum building, and 

 the large glass cases of pottery from Pern, Brazil, and from the Arkansas mounds 

 have been installed in the foyer of the hall. A large case containing a group of 

 Indian figures, representing a quarry workshop (?) from Piney Branch, District of 

 Columbia, has also been set up. A number of paintings, drawings, lithographs, and 

 photographs of prehistoric objects have been placed on the walls above the cases. 

 These included a large painting representing the ruins of Spruce Tree House, Mancos 

 Canyon, Colorado, Major Powell's map of the linguistic stocks of North America, 

 and a chronological map adapted to show the distribution of aboriginal mound dis- 

 tricts in the United States. Two hundred and forty drawers were constructed and 

 placed in eight sloping-top table cases with frosted glass doors. This work was 

 completed March 19, and since that time the drawers have been utilized for the 

 storage of some 3,500 objects belonging to the collection. 



The exhibition series is now so installed that every object can be 

 plainly seen. Labels have been attached to many of the specimens. 



