128 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



son. Collections of birds, birds' eggs and skeletons, mammals, plants, 

 insects, crustaceans, shells, fossils, and lisbes were also made. 



Mr. W. W. Eockliill, whose past services in Thibet have resulted so 

 favorably in behalf of the Museum, contemplates another journey to 

 that region, Mr. Eockhill, in a letter dated June o, writes as follows: 



In compliance with your request that, 1 would milliue to you luy ]>roposefl plan of 

 exploration iuTliibet, I have lunch ])leasure in suliuiit tins; the following;' brief outline 

 of the work I am anxious to undertake. 



Returniug to the Koko-nor by th(; route I formeily followed {i. <., Peking, Hsi- 

 an-fu, Lau-chonfn, Hsiuiug) I would endeavor to go rouu<l Lake Koko-nor by the 

 south and thus complete my study of the eastein Thibetan trilx's. After that, the 

 Ts'aidam Mongols, with whom I s{ient two months and over in 1SS9, would require 

 to be studied more fullj' as to their social relations and language. 



After this preliminary part of the journey I would go to a Thibetan tribe three days' 

 march south of the source of the Yellow River, and claim the services promised to 

 me to travel towards Lh'ara on my former journey, .Should I not bo able to thus 

 reach that city, I have marked on the sketch mapsi sendhercAvith, two other routes, 

 either of which I could follow with great profit to my special studies, ami neither 

 one of which i^resents insurmountable difticnlties. Any one of the routes I propose 

 following in Thibet will lead me through inhabited regions of special interest to eth- 

 nography. The degree of cultiuo of the tribes inhabiting them is lower than in any 

 other region of the country, save perhaps tliat between India and I'hibet, but these 

 tribes are probably not of the jiure Thibetan stock. 



Mr. Rockhill has continued his interest in making collections for the 

 Museum. Among the contributions received from him is a map of 

 Peking; a specimen of poi)ular Chinese cartography, Cliiiiese Buddhist 

 book containing the Thibetan gospels, a fine collection of Chinese cloi- 

 sonnes, enamels, hu-quers, and bronzes, daggers and other weapons 

 (deposited), and many ethnological objects relating to Chinese modes 

 of living. 



Dr. W. L, Abbott, of Philadeli)hia, Pa,, has supplemented his pre- 

 vious collections by contributions of valuable material gathered in dif- 

 ferent parts of Africa, including a magnificent collection of weapons 

 and personal ornaments of the Wa Cliaga and Waisi negroes of the 

 Kilima-Njaro region,* ethnological specimens from the Chagga tribes 

 in the same locality, mammal skins and skulls, insects, specimens of 

 woods, i)lants, fishes, crustaceans, birds, birds' eggs, birds' skeletons, 

 fossils, and reptiles and batrachians, i)hotographs taken in East Africa 

 showing natives, scenery, habitations, and objects belonging to native 

 ]ife, from Madagascar, Kilima-Njaro and the Seychelles Islands. 



Mr, Heli Chatelain, of Vineland, N. J., has collected, during liis 

 travels in Africa, a great variety of interesting objects. On his return 

 to the United States last year, he added many valuable objects to the 

 Museum collection. Among these maybe mentioned a Sechuana Bible 

 (Pen<^ateuch) used by Dr, David Livingstone in his journey from the 

 Cape of Good Hope to Loanda, West Africa, This book has Dr. Liv- 

 ingstone's autograph on the first page. Tlic nu)st extensive explora- 



*A catalogue of this collection is ])ublished in Section in of this volume. 



