122 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



McKiiiiiey, Wyo., to render all assistance in their ])ower to Mr. Horna- 

 day, tli(^ chief taxidermist of the Smithsonian Institntion, and his party 

 of assistants, who started in June, 188G, for Montana and Wyoming for 

 the purpose of securing specimens of buffalo. Mr. H. H. Eusby, a well- 

 known botanist of New Jersey, was engaged in 1S80 in investigating 

 the botany, natural history, and archeology of New Mexico, and the 

 War Department furnished some important facilities to aid him in his 

 researches. 



P'or many years the Secretary of War has i^ermitted the (juarter- 

 masters of the Army to forward from their posts boxes containing speci- 

 mens intended for the National Museum. The transportation of 4 liv- 

 ing buffaloes from Rapid City, S. Dak., to Washington, was greatly 

 facilitated by Lieut. Col. William B. Hughes, chief quartermaster, De- 

 partment of the Platte, at Omaha, Nebr., and by Capt. C. A. H. McCauley, 

 now depot quartermaster at Portland, Oregon. A mahogany gun car- 

 riage, from the citadel of Santo Domingo City, was transmitted by Lieut. 

 Col. G. L. Gillespie, of P^ngineer Corps, U. S, Army. Important assist- 

 ance in securing collections and information has also been rendered by 

 oflicers of the Army stationed at various ])osts throughout the country. 

 Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, while detailed as medical officer at Fort Wingate, 

 N. Mex., forwarded much interesting material and information. 



Owing to the close relationship which had always existed between 

 the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Signal Service, the 

 cooperation of the latter in theprosecutionof scientific researches, par- 

 ticularly in Arctic America, has resulted in most important additions 

 to our knowledge of the natural history and ethnology of the countries 

 north of the United States. P^special service has been rendered in this 

 direction by Mr. Lucien M. Turner, who was detailed to Alaska by the 

 Signal Service. In addition to the valuable collections Jiiade by him, 

 he devoted much time to the study of the languages and customs of the 

 peoi^le of that country, of whom little had been previously known. He 

 also made many instructive and interesting observations relating to the 

 natural history and ethnology of Northern Labrador, where he was at- 

 tached to one of the Signal Service stations for several years. In 1880 

 it was found expedient to withdraw these stations from the outposts of 

 Alaska and other northern countries, and thus the Museum was cut off 

 from a most valual)le field of research. Through the courtesy of Gen. 

 A.W.Greely, Chief Signal Officer, photographs of meteorological recor<ls 

 were contributed to the Museum exhibit at the Cincinnati Exposition, 

 and a Seechi meteorograph, two secti(uis of Beck's pantograph, and 

 Meyers's autographic instrument, were added to the collection of scien- 

 tific apparatus in the Museum. The results of twenty-five years me- 

 teorological corresi)ondence and research, which had been conducted 

 by the Smithsonian Institution, were transferred by it to the Signal 

 Office, in accordance with the time-honored practice of the Institution, 



