REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 65 



opportunity to observe and photograph native customs, notably those 

 of tanning a hide and preparing corn. The study of music on the 

 Fort Berthold Reservation included that pertaining to the ceremony 

 connected with eagle catching. An old eagle trap was visited and 

 photographed, and the songs of the leader in the eagle camp were 

 recorded by the only Mandan who had the hereditary right to sing 

 them. The songs of the Goose Women Society and the Creek Women 

 Society were also sung by those who inherited them and were re- 

 corded phonographically. Among these are the ceremonial songs 

 sung by the "corn priest" in the spring to fructify the seed corn. 

 Songs of war and of the various men's societies were also recorded. 

 The total number of songs from this reservation now transcribed 

 exceeds 100. 



A new phase of the work was that of ascertaining the pitch dis- 

 crimination of the Indians by means of tuning forks. This was be- 

 gun at Fort Berthold and continued for comparative purposes at 

 the Standing Rock and Wliite Earth Reservations. Data from four 

 tribes are now available on this subject of research. 



Miss Densmore read all the gallej^ and part of the page proofs 

 of the bulletin on Teton Sioux Music. Important additions were 

 made to this book in the form of graphic representations, original 

 plots of 240 songs and 18 diagrams having been made to exhibit 

 the results obtained through mathematical analyses. Of these 

 graphic representations 63 will appear in the bulletin. One hundred 

 and fifty pages of manuscript were submitted during the year, in 

 addition to the descriptive analyses of the songs. 



In the preparation of the Handbook of Aboriginal Remains East 

 of the Mississippi, Mr. D. I. Bushnell, jr., added much new material. 

 Many letters were sent to county officials in New England requesting 

 information regarding the location of ancient village sites, burial 

 places, and other traces of aboriginal occupancy in their respective 

 areas. Many of the replies contained valuable and interesting infor- 

 mation. Letters of like nature were addressed to officials in the 

 Southern States, and the replies were equally satisfactory. Numer- 

 ous photographs have been received from various sources, which will 

 serve as illustrations for the handbook, but it is desired to increase 

 the number if possible. The manuscript of the handbook will prob- 

 ably be completed during the next fiscal year. 



Dr. Walter Hough, of the National Museum, was detailed to the 

 bureau in June for the purpose of conducting archeological investi- 

 gations in western central New Mexico. Proceeding to Luna, So- 

 corro County, Dr. Hough commenced the excavation of a ruin pre- 

 viously located .by him, as described in Bulletin 35 of the bureau 

 (p. 59). This site was thought to contain evidence of pit dwellings 

 exclusively, but excavations showed that an area of about 40 acres 



