6 Dircdoi-' s Aiiunal Report. 



work "colledling" in its true sense little has been done except in 

 the Departments of Entomology, Ornithology and Radiata since 

 the establishment of the Museum. It is true that the collecftions 

 have grown, but it has been mainly by purchase, to a small extent 

 by gift, and as yet no collecflors have been sent to the other groups 

 of this Pacific region. This omission it is hoped may be remedied 

 in the near future. A beginning was made in 1896 by sending the 

 Director around the world to examine the ethnological colleclions 

 in the principal museums, and to study especially the objecfts from 

 the Pacific Region, many of which can no longer be obtained in 

 the place of their original use. If of no other material advantage 

 to this Museum, the extensive although hasty journe\- showed 

 plainly what had been done in other museums, and by inference 

 what remained undone in the Bishop Museum. It .strengthened 

 the hope that one day, before the changes of civilization make it 

 too late, the Natural History at lea,st of the Pacific Region may be 

 properly explored. In the Ethnology much has irrevocably passed 

 away, much is passing, but it is not too late to gather material for 

 comparison and .study in many of the islands of this great ocean. 

 In many of the groups of the south-eastern Pacific kapa making is 

 still practised, tatuing is not a lost art, and at the other extreme 

 geographically cannibalism is as rife as ever. 



Although not feeling prepared to begin the work of collecfting 

 independently, the Trustees welcomed the opportunity offered by 

 the Conunittee of the lyondon Ro^-al Society and the British A.sso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science, and h\ furnishing one- 

 third of the funds needed for the exploration of the.se Hawaiian 

 Islands, became a third partner in this important undertaking. 

 Mr. R. C. L. Perkins has for .several years collected and studied 

 the Hawaiian insect fauna for this Committee, and has incidentalh' 

 collected a number of Hawaiian birds. The results of Mr. Perkins" 

 explorations are now being published and distributed to the corre- 

 spondents of this Museum. It is hoped that our future explora- 



