SECRETARY’S REPORT Zl 
History.—Several unusual items were added during the past year 
to the National collection of American antiques and personal relics, 
and of these the spirit set and silverware owned by the Maryland 
surveyor Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820) are the oldest. A marble slab 
from the Temple of Wingless Victory on the Athens Acropolis, pre- 
sented to President Truman by a Greek delegation on March 28, 1949, 
as a token of gratitude from the people of Greece, was lent by the 
President. The most interesting additions to the costumes collection 
were a parasol made of pheasant feathers and an old bonnet of the 
type known as ‘“‘calash.”’ The outstanding accessions to the military 
collection were the relics bequeathed by Gen. John J. Pershing, 
comprising personal uniforms, presentation flags, medals, decorations, 
and other mementos of his military service. Forty-four portraits of 
World War II heroes painted by Joseph Cummings Chase were 
presented to the Museum by the artist. 
The collection of gold and silver coins, chiefly European issues 
dating from the fourteenth to the twentieth century, which was re- 
ceived as a gift from Paul A. Straub, of New York City, constitutes 
the most noteworthy accession acquired by the division of numismatics 
in recent years. A complete set, in duplicate, of Allied military 
currency was presented by the Department of the Army. 
EXPLORATION AND FIELD WORK 
Staff specialists in the departments of anthropology, zoology, 
botany, and geology were engaged during the year in field work in 
South, Central, and North America, New Zealand, and Australia. 
The four staff members—Frank M. Setzler, head curator of anthro- 
pology; Dr. David H. Johnson, associate curator of mammals; 
Herbert G. Deignan, associate curator of birds; and Dr. Robert R. 
Miller, associate curator of fishes—who participated in the technical 
work of the Commonwealth of Australia-National Geographic 
Society-Smithsonian Institution Expedition to Arnhem Land under 
‘ the leadership of Charles P. Mountford, returned to Washington, 
D. C., late in 1948 following completion of the field work. The base 
camp of the expedition, which had been established April 4, 1948, on 
Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, was moved during July 
1948 to Yirrkala on the beach of Arafura Sea near the northeastern 
corner of Arnhem Land. A third camp was established September 
21, 1948, at Oenpelli on East Alligator River near the foot of the high 
Arnhem Land escarpment. The entire party returned to Darwin in 
November to pack the collections and field equipment for shipment 
to the participating institutions. 
