I 



Director'' s Anmial Report. 13 



on Lanai known to Mr. Wagener, and carried out with the permis- 

 sion of the Ivanai agents. We were well satisfied with the results. 



"I might sa}' here that I was in continual attendance on Pro- 

 fessor von Luschan in the field and laboratory during the month 

 of his visit. Coming direct from the centre of modern anthro- 

 pological stud3% as he does, and being in fact the leader in the sub- 

 ject, I received great benefit from the observation of his methods 

 and the instrudlion he was ready to impart. There is one matter 

 in which Professor von lyuschan has demonstrated that we have 

 been clearlj' derelict in our duty. He expected to find in a museum 

 of this size and location, three thousand well authenticated Ha- 

 waii?ai skulls. He found but fifty skulls all told, very few of 

 which were Hawaiian. These we have been content to gather as 

 occasionally met with, expedting that at some future date the feel- 

 ings of the present Hawaiians in regard to the gathering of their 

 ancestors' bones might be modified by time and education as in 

 other countries.* The trips to Waimaualo and I,anai have fur- 

 nished the Professor with an excellent subject on which to base 

 his lecftures for our benefit. The condition of the bones made it 

 only too apparent that even in these dunes, composed of lime sand, 

 each on the dry side of the respective islands (the most favorable 

 locality for the preservation of bony material under ground), it 

 would be onlj^ a very few years before the skeletons would be too 

 decayed to be worth collecfling. He sa3'S that we owe it to Science 

 to gather as many authenticated Hawaiian skeletons as we can 

 accommodate and store — at least five hundred — so that the record 

 of the Hawaiian proportions will not be lost. 



"Considerable time has been given to the Kahoolawe collec- 

 tion in seeking a satisfa(5tory method of handling the subject, both 

 in regard to cataloguing and description. There have been pub- 



*In 1865 I was able to ship some five barrels of Hawaiian crania to Boston. 

 Many of these were collected in the sand beyond Diamond Head; others in 

 the sands of the isthmus of Mavii. Fine specimens were in my collection and 

 these were measured by Dr. Jeffries Wyman of Harvard Universit}'. I wish 

 indeed I had as good a collection in this Museum. — W. T. B. 



[53J 



