LX REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY 



pointed objects, sucli as spearpoints or arrowheads. The col- 

 lections at Pass creek prove rich, and several (if the objects 

 have already been drawn for incorj^oratiou in Professor 

 Holmes' report. The geologic relations of the material used 

 in the manufacture of the implements are also of exceptional 

 interest, and were worked out in detail. 



JVoik ill ircsfern (irclieoloqi/ — Mr Cosmos Mindelefif has con- 

 tinued operations in New Mexico. By reason of the approach- 

 ing exhaustion of his allotment, the ex])loratorv operations were 

 somewhat curtailed and the elaboration of notes and diagrams 

 pro]iortionately extended. 



Mr Mindeleff finds the Pueblo country overrun liy specula- 

 tors in primitive pottery and other relics, which are collected 

 and sold as products of Aztec art. The operations of these 

 s]ieculators are ruinous; the material is collected without ade- 

 quate study of association, so that its value as a record of 

 aboriginal conditions is largely lost; and in addition the meth- 

 ods emploved are destructive of all material except that of 

 portable character and commercial value. Mr Mindeleft' is 

 making every attempt to forestall these destructive operations; 

 and to enable him to do so advantageously he is continued in 

 the field at some sacrifice in efficiency of work on reports and 

 illustrations. 



Work in synonymij — Mr F. W. Hodge has continued wovV on 

 the synonymy of the southwestern families and tribes in addi- 

 tion to the routine Avork of the library, and in ]:)oth directions 

 his work has been eminently satisfactory. The preparation of 

 the synonymy involves extended literary research, and prog- 

 ress is necessarily slow; but the collection of data has now 

 reached such a condition as easil}' to permit preparation for 

 the press, and it is planned to begin ])ul)lication as soon as 

 practicable in bulletin form by linguistic stocks. 



Mr James Mooney completed the preparation of his bulletin 

 on the "8iouan Tribes (»f the P]ast," and this work will be for- 

 war<led for publication so soon as the ma}) required for its 

 illustration is ct)mpleted. Since the completion of this manu- 

 script, Mr Moonev has been engaged on the final chapters of 

 his re})ort on the "Ghost-dance Peligion," which is approaching 

 com])letion. 



