REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 135 



In connection with the Exposition woik, Mrs. Wilson's ])rivat(' col- 

 lectiou of hices, mounted, and with an elaborate series of descriptive 

 labels, was placed in the Woman's building. 



An interestinii' and valuable collection of prehistoric antiipiitics com- 

 prising 178 objects was given b}' Mrs. Schliemann on behalf of her 

 husband, lately deceased. They were gatliered by the celebrated 

 explorer during his excavations on the hill of Hissarlik and came from 

 the buried cities on the site of Ancient Troy. 



The curator continued his duties as editor of the dei)artment of 

 anthropology in the -'American Xaturalist" and also published a i>aper 

 upon "Anthropology at the Paris Exj)osition in 1889." In addition to 

 the routine work already described, the preparation of a series of casts 

 of typical i)rehistoric stone implements for distribution to colleges and 

 museums has been continued. 



THE COLLECTION OF ORIENTAL ANTIQl'ITIES. 



This collection is an outgrowth of the Department of Ethnology and 

 was established in 1888 under the honorary curatorship of Dr. Paul 

 Haupt, professor of Semitic studies in Johns Hopkins University, 

 chietiy for the purpose of calling attention to the fact that the Kational 

 Museum was ready to receive and care for objects obtained by archse- 

 ological exploring expeditions in the East, and also to meet the con- 

 stant demand from visitors for collections corresponding to those 

 known iu London as of Biblical arch;eology. 



Owing in part to lack of space, the specimens have not been a very 

 serviceable study collection. Special attention was given to the 

 making up of a study series of casts of Assyrian and Babylonian 

 seals, of which a large number were found to be in j)rivate possession 

 of this country. It is hoped that in time this series will include a com- 

 plete representation of every seal in America, and that this material 

 of such importance for purposes of research will be elaborate enough 

 to render it available for comparative study. 



Owing in part to lack of space and still more to the fact that it is so 

 difficult to obtain genuine material, the growth of this collection has 

 been very slow, but it still occupies a ])rominent place in the Museum, 

 and every efibrt will be made for its improvement. 



A number of objects have recently been withdrawn from this series 

 to form a portion of the collection of religious ceremonials which was 

 prepared as a special feature for the World's Fair under the charge of 

 Dr. Cyrus Adler, assistant curator of this dci)artment. 



Among the most important recent accessions arc two squeezes of 

 ancient tablets at Persepolis, brought home by the Hon. Truxton Beale, 

 from which have been made the beautiful plaster casts tigured and 

 described by Dr. Adler in another ])art of this rci)ort. 



Another collection received during the year, which seems to deserve 

 si)ecial remark iu this place, is referred to in a statement ])reparcd by 

 the custodian of the collection : 



