THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



or knotted cords used to keep accounts, specimens of food 

 and medicines, charms and implements. Grewsome evi- 

 dence of the savage character of some of the existing tribes 

 of the southern continent is given by the shrunken human 

 heads in one of the cases. Adjoining is the 



SOUTHWEST PAVILION 



CHINESE AND SIBERIAN COLLECTIONS 



"Strange customs do thrive in foreign soil." 



Schiller. 



The Chinese collection (on the left) illustrates the home 

 industries and social life as they existed among the common 

 people of China fifteen or more years ago, before the trans- 

 formation of the empire from a patriarchal system of gov- 

 ernment into a modern commonwealth. Excellent examples 

 of porcelain, terra-cotta and glass work in the form of orna- 

 ments, utensils and other articles of every-day use, together 

 with objects of bamboo, palm fiber, cane and basketry, will 

 be found in cases in the eastern end of the hall. Attention 

 is directed to the horn lanterns made by welding softened 

 layers of ram's horn into one mass. One case contains 

 specimens of trays, boxes and panels inlaid with mother-of- 

 pearl, ivory and various woods. Another case contains an 

 exhibit of cloisonne and cinnabar lacquer work, shown by 

 boxes, vases and trays, together with the material used in 

 its manufacture. Other cases contain rugs, stone, wood 



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