NELSON] SCOPE OF THE WORK 21 
North cape, beyond Bering strait, taking on board a sledge party 
which had been left there early in the season. We then returned to St 
Lawrence island, where a landing was effected and a fine series of valu- 
able specimens obtained, after which we departed for St Michael 
where the collections were transferred to the Alaska Commercial Com- 
pany’s steamer for shipment to San Francisco, and the Corwin once 
more returned to the Arctic. During the remainder of the season we 
visited all of the Arctic coast of Alaska from Bering strait to Point 
Barrow, including Kotzebue sound. 
The ethnologic collection obtained during my residence in the north 
numbers about ten thousand specimens, which are deposited in the 
United States National Museum, under the auspices of which my work 
in Alaska was done. With the exception of a comparatively small 
number of specimens obtained among the Athapascan tribes of the 
lower Yukon and among the Chukchi of eastern Siberia, the entire 
collection was obtained among the Eskimo. 
Since my return from Alaska Mr Johu Murdoch has reported on the 
collection and observations made by the International Polar Expedi- 
tion at Point Barrow.! 
Although my collections cover many of the objects found along the 
northern coast, I have been more explicit in describing those from 
other regions visited by me rather than to duplicate the work of Mr 
Murdoch. The preparation of the present work has been delayed from 
various unavoidable causes, but despite the length of time which has 
elapsed since my observations were made, but little has appeared 
regarding the customs of the Eskimo in the region visited by me. 
This being the case, the data collected at a time when the life of the 
majority of the natives had not been so greatly modified by intercourse 
with white men as at present, are of particular value. Since then the 
introduction of missionary schools and the gold-mining excitement 
have resulted in greatly changing the status of many of the people, 
and as a natural consequence their old customs and beliefs are rapidly 
falling into disuse or are becoming greatly modified. 
In this work I have confined myself to recording the information 
obtained and have made no attempt to elaborate any of the matter by 
generalizations. However imperfect my observations were in many 
cases, I trust the information gained will serve as a basis for fuller 
investigation of a very interesting field. I was placed under great 
indebtedness for favors received from the Alaska Commercial Company 
and its officers at St Michael during my residence at that point. 
Through the cordial assistance of Mr Rudolph Neumann and the late 
M. Lorenz, who volunteered to carry on my meteorological obserya- 
tions during periods of absence from St Michael, I was enabled to 
accomplish much work that would have been impracticable without 
such aid. I am also indebted to Mr Neumann for several of the tales 
from St Michael. 
) Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1887-88. 
