REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1908. oo 
the mythological and art historical points of view. The exhibits of 
the division occupy two alcoves in the west hall of the Museum 
building facing the rotunda. The northwest alcove contains mainly 
the antiquities of western Asia, namely, the Biblical, Palestinian, 
Syrian, Assyro-Babylonian, and Persian, while the southwest alcove 
is occupied by the Egyptian and Hittite antiquities. During the 
year a special case with Egyptian antiquities was installed and speci- 
mens of Egyptian (Coptic) textiles were put on exhibition. Addi- 
tions were also made to the Bible collection. 
Historie religions —Especially noteworthy among the accessions 
of the year were 21 objects of Jewish religious ceremonial, added by 
Dr. Ephraim Benguiat, of New York, to his important loan collee- 
tion which has been on exhibition for several years. They comprise 
2 finely embroidered synagogue veils, 2 silver-gilt breastplates of 
exquisite workmanship, a silver and brass Hanukah lamp of artistic 
design, a quaint brass spice holder, composed of 5 pear-shaped com- 
partments surmounted by lions, and 8 framed pictures illustrating 
the story of Joseph worked in embroidery. Dr. Cyrus Adler, curator 
of the division, presented a pair of phylacteries from Jerusalem, and 
Miss Eliza R. Scidmore, of Washington, a model of the church at 
Borgund, Norway. 
The exhibition collections illustrating the historic religions are 
mainly installed on the south gallery of the west hall, in the follow- 
ing order: Judaism in six wall cases and two Kensington cases, Mo- 
hammedanism in two wall cases and one special case, Christianity 
in four wall eases and two special cases, Brahmanism in two wall 
‘ases and one special case, Buddhism in five wall cases and one special 
vase, Shintoism in one wall case, other Eastern religious objects in 
one wall case, and Parseeism in one special case. Three Kensington 
‘ases contain, respectively, collections of amulets and rosaries and a 
Korean sorcerer’s outfit. The S. 8S. Howland collection of Buddhist 
religious art in two large cases and colossal statues of Buddha and 
Vishnu are placed in the rotunda. Objects of the several sections, 
which for lack of space can not be exhibited at present, such as photo- 
graphs, prints, ete., are contained in drawers. The Jewish section 
was partly, and the Christian section entirely, rearranged and labeled. 
A case of Buddhist rosaries and a statuette of Confucius were added. 
A manuscript entitled: The Collection of Jewish Ceremonial Ob- 
jects in the United States National Museum, containing descriptions 
of the objects, with photographic illustrations, was completed by 
Doctor Adler and Doctor Casanowicez. A study of the collection of 
rosaries by Doctor Casanowicz is In progress. 
Physical anthropology.—The more important acquisitions by this 
division consisted of a large collection of skeletal parts, received in 
exchange from Prof. George 8S. Huntington, of the College of Phy- 
