REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY 67 



batrachians, studying the uuiterial bearing upon the lierpetology of 

 iudiana. 



SPECIAL RESEARCHES BY CURATORS AND OTHERS. 



Tlie curators of the Museum in addition to their regular duties have 

 made special studies of the collections under their charge, and these 

 investigations have resulted in the publication of several important and 

 interesting papers in the pu])lications of the Smithsoiuan Institution 

 and the National Museum. During the first three years of the occu- 

 pancy of the Museum building, or from 1881 to 1884, the Reports of the 

 Museum were very limited in extent, owing to the fact that the collec- 

 tions had not been properly arranged for study; l)ut during and since 

 1884 a large number of special studies of collections have been made 

 both by tlie curators and by collaborators of the Museum, These re- 

 sults have been for the most part published in the Annual l\ei)orts and 

 in the ''Proceedings" of the Museum. The following list represents 

 the papers published in the Museum reports, commencing with 1884: 



1884. 



Throwing-sticks in tlio NatioiKil Museum. By Otis T. Mason. 



IJasket-AVork of tlie North Anieiicau Aborigines. By Otis T. Mason. 



A study of the Eskimo Bows iu the U. S. National Museum. By John Murdocli. 



On a Spotted Dolphin, apparently identical witli the Prodelphinns dor'is of Gray. By 



Frederick AV. True. 

 The Florida Muskrat, Neofihcr Allenl True. By Frederick W. True. 

 On the West Indian Seal, Mon<(clius troplcalis Gray. By Frederick W. True and F. 



A. Lucas. 



1885. 



Tlie George Catlin Indian Gallery in the V. S. National Museum, with Memoir and 

 Statistics. By Thomas Donaldson. 



188G. 



The Meteorite Collection, a catalogue of meteorites repi'esented November 1, 1886. 

 By F. W. Clarke. 



The Gem Collection. Bj' (ieorgo F. Kvmz. 



The Collection of Building and Ornamental Stones; a handbook and catalogue. By 

 George P. Merrill. 



The Collection of Textiles; List of Fibers and Fabrics. By Romyn Hitchcock. 



Preparation of Microscopical Mounts of Vegetable Textile Fibers. By Romyn Hitch- 

 cock. 



How to collect Mammal Skins for Puri)Os«'s of Study and for Mounting, By William 

 T. Hornaday. 



1887- 



Cradles of the American Aborigines. By Otis T. Mason. 



Notes on the artificial deformation of children among savage and civilized peo- 

 ples. By Dr. J. H. Porter. 



The Human Beast of Burden. Bv Otis T. Mason. 



Ethno-Conehology. A study of Primitive Money. By Robert E. C. Stearns. 



A I'ndiininary Catalogue of the Eskimo' C^ollection in the U. S. National Museum, 

 arranged geographically and by uses. By Lieut. T, Dix Bolles, U, S. Navy, 



