4 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION'S VOL. 51 



fauna of this northern country ; and. although various expeditions 

 have collected specimens and much has been written concerning 

 them, it was not until 1904, when the first Smithsonian expedition 

 was organized, that the subject was taken up in a systematic man- 

 ner. This expedition was conducted by Mr. A. G. Maddren, whose 

 report has now been some years before the public. 1 It was planned, 

 at that time, to carry on the exploration for two or more consecutive 

 seasons, but it was not until 1907 that the present writer was detailed 

 to continue the work so well begun three years previous. The report 

 herewith presented gives the results of this second trip, undertaken, 

 as was the first, under a grant made by the Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution at the suggestion of Dr. George P. Merrill, Head 

 Curator, Department of Geology, U. S. National Museum. 

 The writer's instructions were, in part, as follows : 



"You are hereby authorized to proceed to Alaska, on or about May 

 22, 1907, for the purpose of exploring the regions herein described, 

 with a view to securing remains of large extinct vertebrate animals 

 and investigating the causes which have led to their extinction. 



"While it is expected that you will exercise your best judgment 

 in carrying out the details of your itinerary, it is suggested that on 

 leaving the city of Washington you proceed to Seattle, securing at 

 that point the necessary outfit, excepting provisions, and arranging 

 for the services of a competent assistant. 



"On leaving Seattle you will go by way of Skagway, Alaska, to 

 White Horse, and thence down the Yukon River to Rampart, where 

 the first stop will be made and the area explored, from which certain 

 bison skulls now in the Museum collections have been obtained. You 

 will then proceed to Fort Gibbon, exploring the territory in the 

 direction of the Xowi River — the so-called "Bone Yard" region — 

 and from this point either by steamer or canoe, to Hall Rapids, 

 investigating the areas on both sides of the Yukon as far as 

 Andreafski. 



"Should the explorations so far outlined not yield results warrant- 

 ing your delay, it will then be advisable for you to proceed, provided 

 the season be not too far advanced, by the most expeditious route 

 to Kotzebue Sound, and make similar investigations in the areas 

 drained by the Buckland River. 



"Should you at any point discover material of such importance as 

 to justify the making of immediate excavations, you are authorized 

 to undertake such work, though bearing in mind that it may be 

 advisable to first make a reconnaissance of the entire field, leaving 

 the work of actual excavation until the following year. This is a 

 matter, however, which must be left to your discretion. 



"It is expected that the explorations herein authorized will prob- 

 ably consume not more than four months of the present year." 



1 Smithsonian Exploration in Alaska in 1904 in Search of Mammoth and 

 Other Fossil Remains. Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol xnx, pp. 1-117. 



