518 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 185)1; 



deliuitely known. The idea of a fence, sncli as Mr. fiatow snj^ge.sis, 

 made by Joining the cylinders with bamboos passed through the holes 

 would be most obvious. But 1 am not aware that Mr. Satow really 

 found any such bamboos, and tlie position of the cylinders shown in 

 this picture, and as we examined them in situ, showed that the lateral 

 ai)ertures were directed outwards, thus precluding the idea of lateral 

 connection. Moreover, the cylinders are placed so close together as to 

 render any sucli connection improbable. 



I was quite anxious to obtain one or two specimens of these cylin- 

 ders for the National Museum, and my experience in this connection 

 may not be without interest to those who like to speculate upon the 

 motives of liumau conduct. It occasionally happens that the mounds 

 are sold by the Government, for agricultural purposes, when the cylin- 

 ders are destroyed by the plow by thousands. In the mounds still 

 uninjured by the laborer the cylinders are being destroyed by the effects 

 of the weather. Such being the case, one would naturally suppose 

 that the authorities would readily second any eftbrt to preserve speci- 

 mens of the cylinders from destruction in i)ublic museums. But a more 

 pronounced case of dog-in-tlie-manger than was exhibited in this mat- 

 ter by the Japanese officials has not come to my experience. 



One day Mr. (lowland and I made a trip to Nara^ for the purpose of 

 getting some cylinders from the mound represented in Plate xliv. This, 

 and another mound near by, had been disposed of for agricultural pur 

 poses, and we were therefore confident of success. Accompanied by 

 the Governor and another ofticial of the Ken, we soon reached the 

 mounds, about 2 miles out, and threading our way a(;ross the mud of 

 the drained moat we found the exceptionally hue exposure of cylinders 

 which the photograph shows. But when we broached the matter of 

 digging them out, we were told that authority to do so must come from 

 Tokio. Well, there was no other course open to us, and I concluded, 

 that at the risk of being snubbed, I would do my best to get some 

 cylinders for the National Museum. My iirst application was to the 

 minister of education, Mr. Arinori Mori, but he declared that he could 

 not aid me in the matter. Tlie president of the Imperial University, 

 Mr. Watanabe, had already assured me verbally that if I would write 

 to him he would be most happy to aid me. I did write to him, and his 

 secretary '' was instructed to convey Mr, Watanabe's regrets that he 

 could not assist" me. Finally I ventured to ai)ply directly to the Im- 

 perial Household Department. In my letter I stated that there were 

 two mounds near Nara " from which cylinders can be obtained with 

 very little digging, and it will only be a short time when they will be 

 destroyed by the effects of the weather," All my letters were written 

 in behalf of the Smithsonian Institution and IT. S. National Museum; 

 but they availed nothing. The cylinders are being destroyed by thou- 

 sands, and I could only bring home some of the fragments. 



We have no clew to the date when the cvlinders Avere intro(lnce<l, Init 



