The United States National Museum 355 



Mexico, are made with a wealth of detail that has increased 

 the difficulty of manufacture almost beyond the belief of pos- 

 sibility in savage life. 



" The display from South America is important, resem- 

 bling the culture of Central America more than that of 

 North America. 



" The Department has one of the richest displays of pre- 

 historic objects in the United States. It contains more than 

 two hundred and fifty thousand objects, which it is impossible 

 to name. They, however, are divided both technologically 

 and geographically, and by comparison in these two regards 

 the endeavor is made to determine the stage of culture and 

 obtain some insight into the history of prehistoric man," 



Regarding the Department of Ethnology, the Curator, 

 Professor Otis T. Mason, writes: 



"The ethnological collection of the museum relates chiefly 

 to the North American Indians, but it includes also valuable 

 series of objects from Polynesia, obtained by the United 

 States Exploring Expedition, such as the old Tapa cloths 

 and weapons, which are no longer obtainable at present. 



"The Eskimo collection is unrivaled. The collections of 

 the Bureau of Ethnology and other government surveys on 

 the west coast of the Pacific Ocean in North America, and in 

 the Pueblo region of the southwestern United States, are the 

 most extensive and valuable ever assembled. Amone sinele 

 objects of high value and rarity may be mentioned a large 

 jade knife from Alaska, obtained by E. W. Nelson ; a fine 

 series of boats and totem posts from the west Pacific coast 

 of America, by J. G. Swan. In the Powell collection there 

 are rare old pieces of pottery from the ruined Pueblos. A 

 Hawaiian feather cloak, of large size and well preserved, also 

 deserves mention. 



" I present the following list of the most conspicuous and 

 useful collections in alphabetical order, by collectors: 



" A collection of great value from Eastern Africa, Kashmir, 



