XXXII REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. 



use, has beeu explained at length in previoiis reports. Such a 

 classification, when properly made, will constitute an indispen- 

 sable preliminary to all accurate ethnologic work relating to 

 this continent. The essay, with an accompanying linguistic 

 chart, was substituted for another paper in the long delayed 

 Seventh Aimual Report of this Bureau. 



Col. Garrick Mallery, U. S. a., during the year, when not 

 occupied in special and occasional duties designated by the 

 Director, was engaged in arranging for publication the mate- 

 rial gathered by him during se^'eral jjre^dous years on the gen- 

 eral theme of picture-writing. That title was used to embrace 

 all modes of expressing and communicating thoughts and facts 

 in a permanent form without reference to sound. Such modes 

 of expression being at one time, if not still, independent of oral 

 language, the study of their history, evolution, and practice 

 may assist in the soliition of some ethnic and psvchic prob- 

 lems, and may verify or modify some theories of anthropologic 

 import. In the scheme of arrangement for publication the 

 objective exhibition <»f mental concepts by the North American 

 Indians has been classified with proper predominance, as it 

 has exceeded in interest all others known which have not 

 passed beyond the boundaries separating ideograms and 

 emblems from sylLibaries and alphabets. In order to promote 

 explanation and comparison, however, copies and descriptions 

 of a lai'ge luimber of petroglyphs and .other forms of picto- 

 graphs found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and in many 

 islands, were collated. With the same object, still more earnest 

 attention was directed to the synoptic presentation of illustra- 

 tions from Mexico, Central America, and South America as Toeing 

 presumably more closelv connected than is tlie eastern hemi- 

 sphere with the similar developments found in the present area 

 of the United States, whether inscribed on rocks with author- 

 ship generally unknown or actually in current use among many 

 of the Indian tribes. This work was incorporated in the Tenth 

 Annual Report of this Bureau. 



Mr. Henry W. Henshaw throughout the entire year devoted 

 his time to administrative work and to continuing the prepara- 

 tion of the Dictionary of Indian Tribes already described. 



