REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1907. 21 



Arctic Expedition, collected by Dr. Octave Paw. surgeon of the 

 expedition, were purchased, as were also two rare Chilcootin baskets. 



One of the most important donations in prehistoric archeology 

 was received from Dr. L. A. Wailes, of New Orleans, Louisi- 

 ana. The collection came from Central and South America and 

 may be briefly described as follows: From the Peten district in 

 Guatemala small baked clay heads representing various types of 

 physiognomy and head gear, fragments of large earthenware vases, 

 mainly ornamental parts showing the human face; portions of fig- 

 ures of vases with hands, arms, feet, and Legs, modeled in the round, 

 the feet showing sandals and the method of attachment; other frag- 

 ments representing animal forms, apparently finished in a kind 

 of glaze; pottery whistles, a clay spindle whorl, a small polished 

 stone chisel, and a piece of rosewood with human face carved in pro- 

 file. From Costa Rica, small carved-stone images, earthernware 

 vases (mainly tripods), and a pottery whistle representing a toad. 

 From Chiriqui, Panama, earthernware vessels and polished stone 

 hatchets, the latter being characteristic of that locality, hexagonal 

 in section with beveled surfaces; a polished stone hatchet from Mex- 

 ico, an obsidian knife from Honduras, and a pottery bowl of black 

 polished ware, with four animal figures grouped about the rim, 

 from Venezuela. Mr. A. H. Blackiston, of El Paso, Texas, sent as 

 a loan a collection of stone and pottery objects from the Casas 

 Grandes Valley. Chihuahua, Mexico, containing many fine examples 

 of earthernware ollas, bowls, dishes, effigy vases, etc.. with painted 

 and incised decorations. The effigy vases representing human, quad- 

 ruped, and bird forms are remarkable. Among the stone objects are 

 grooved axes, hammers, pestles and mortars, bandstones, grooved 

 arrowshaft straightenefs, polishing and discoidal stones, medicine 

 bowls or dishes, notched and grooved stones, amulets, pendants, 

 charm or medicine stones, paint stones, a large circular stone with 

 central hole believed to have been used in a ball game and a number 

 of stone balls, shell beads, pendants and ornaments, bone awls, and 

 a carved bone amulet. This material has been installed with objects 

 from the same locality previously lent by Mr. Blackiston. and to- 

 gether they form a very noteworthy exhibit. The Rev. Robert C 

 Nightingale, of Swaffham, England, donated an interesting collec- 

 tion of ancient stone implements and fragments of Romano-British 

 urns, obtained in the vicinity of Norfolk, England. The stone 

 objects include hammers. Hint cores, flakes, knives and scrapers; 

 the pottery, representing seven different vessels, was found in an 

 old earthwork on which, according to persistent tradition, a temple 

 of Diana formerl} T stood. 



Brig. Gen. P. Henry Ray, U. S. Army, presented several exception 

 ally good discoidal stones, all polished, and three showing slightly 



