374 



NA rURE 



IFcb. 



charge of Mr. J. E. Watkins, of Camden, N.J. The 

 "John Bull '' engine, imported from England in 1831, the 

 model after which all subsequent American engines have 

 been constructed, has been given to the Museum by the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and placed on exhibi- 

 tion ; and adjoining this is a case in which there are 

 .dready assembled about forty objects illustrating the 

 beginnings of the American railroad system. The col- 

 lection of scientific instruments owes its interest at present 

 chiefly to the historical associations of most of the 

 apparatus displayed, including, as it does, instruments 

 used by Priestley, Henry, and Hare. The original tele- 

 graphic instrument of Morse and Vail is also here shown. 

 The collections of musical instruments, modern pottery, 

 and porcelain, lacquer, and the process of engraving are 

 partially displayed, and when cases and floor space shall 

 become available, will soon develop into important 

 features. 



The Department of Ethnology, although one of the 

 youngest, is one of the largest in the Museum ; and its 

 growth during the last year was very great. Certain 

 large classes of objects, such as weapons of war and the 

 chase, implements of agriculture, and other primitive in- 

 dustries, have been carefully grouped. In addition to 

 these great series of objects, classified according to func- 

 tion, other groups of objects have been arranged in ac- 

 cordance with another idea of classification, which is 

 deemed of equal importance, namely, that of race. The 

 Eskimo collection, for instance, has been arranged in table 

 cases in one of the exhibition halls, in accordance with the 

 ethnic idea, although, in the minor details of classification, 

 function and form, as well as geographical distribution, 

 have been followed. A preliminary study of the collection 

 of basketry has been completed. A paper upon the baskets 

 of uncivilised peoples, with numerous illustrations, was 

 published in the Museum Report for 1884, and a repre- 

 sentative series placed on exhibition with provisional 

 labels. The throwing-sticks and sinew back-bows have 

 been the subject of papers, and are now on exhibition. 

 The curator has in progress investigations upon several 

 groups of objects, notably the history and technology of 

 archery ; upon transportation as effected by man without 

 the aid of domestic animals or mechanism ; upon the 

 peculiar industries of several handicrafts ; upon the 

 Hoopah Indians of California. The underlying ideas 

 in these investigations, a first instalment of which 

 was published in the last Report of the Museum, are (i) 

 that the methods of strict classification and nomenclature 

 already applied in the other natural sciences are equally 

 applicable to anthropology ; (2) that a trustworthy and 

 minute study of modern savage and barbarous tcchniyiie 

 is absolutely requisite to the archaeologist and technologist 

 in reconstructing the history of civilisation. 



The collections in the Department of American Ab- 

 original Pottery have continued to increase with astonish- 

 ing rapidity, and the extensive accessions which have been 

 received through the Bureau of Ethnology, and from other 

 sources, have been of the greatest scientific importance 

 and popular interest. One of the four large central halls 

 of the Museum is devoted entirely to this subject, and the 

 removal of the collections of South American aboriginal 

 pottery and of the extensive collections from the mounds 

 which haxe for many years been accumulating in the 

 Archaeological Hall of the Smithsonian building, have 

 filled it up to such an extent that it is difficult to find room 

 for the new material as it comes in. During the year a 

 portion of the hall was thrown open to the public. The 

 exhibition case surrounding the walls of this room is pro- 

 bably the largest in existence in any museum, being 260 

 feet in length, 4 feet 9 inches in depth, and, being double 

 throughout, its entire length is virtually 520 feet. Double 

 the space now allotted to this Department is necessary for 

 its proper display, and the value of the material here con- 

 centrated is practically inestimable ; since even the iriodern 



tribes, who are still making pottery simiUr in its general 

 character to that which is here preserved, have de- 

 teriorated to such a degree in their artistic capacity or 

 skill that their products are not an exponent of their 

 original artistic capabilities. So exhaustive is this collec- 

 tion that it is impossible that any thorough work can be 

 done upon the American aboriginal pottery which shall 

 not in great part be based upon it. 



The total number of accessions in the Department of 

 Antiquities was 2751 ; and all excepting eighty-four were 

 of sufficient importance to be added to the exhibition and 

 study series, which now include over 40,000 specimens. 

 Dr. Rau, the Curator of this Department, is engaged upon 

 the preparation of an illustrated work on North American 

 prehistoric objects, which is designed to serve as a guide 

 for visitors to the Department, and as an explanation of 

 the terminology of North American arch:eology. This 

 will bear the title, "A Classification of the North Ameri- 

 can Prehistoric Relics in the United States National 

 Museum." This book will be fully illustrated, and, it is 

 hoped, will be published in the ensuing year. 



The most important accessions to the Department of 

 Maminals, as in previous years, were in the shape of 

 single specimens sent from zoological gardens and mena- 

 geries, which have shown a great deal of liberality to the 

 Museum in this respect. 



The growth of the Department of Birds during the year 

 was very satisfactory, the number of specimens added to 

 the collection being 4147. The largest single accession 

 was the collection made by the U.S. Fish Commission 

 steamer Albalross in the Bahamas, of 1000 specimens 

 and about 75 species, of which 5 were new to science. 

 .'\nother valuable collection, 243 specimens. Si species, 

 I new to the fauna of North America, was obtained in 

 Alaska by Mr. Charles H. Townsend, while on a mission 

 for the Fish Commission. Mr. Henry Seebohm, of Lon- 

 don, gave to the Museum 171 specimens, 53 species, 

 chiefly from Siberia, and of great value to the collection. 

 The number of specimens in the collection is now 55,945, 

 7000 of which have been set apart for the exhibition 

 series. 



Very much was accomplished during the year in the 

 classification and arrangement of the collection of eggs 

 and nests of birds. The total number of specimens 

 added is 2556, in 253 lots, and there are now more than 

 44,000 specimens in the collection, of which 1491 are in 

 the exhibition, and 31,124 in the reserve collection, the 

 remainder having been set aside as duplicates. 



The remaining Departments of which accounts are 

 presented are those of Reptiles, Fishes, Mollusks, Ento- 

 mology, Marine Invertebrates, Comparative Anatomy, 

 Invertebrate Fossils, Fossil and Recent Plants, Minerals, 

 Lithology and Physical Geology, and Metallurgy and 

 Economic Geology. In dealing with the Department of 

 Entomology, the author of the Report has to record a fine 

 instance of the generosity and public spirit for which the 

 best class of American citizens are famous. In October 

 last. Dr. C. \. Riley formally presented to the Museum his 

 private collection of North American insects, representing 

 the fruits of his own labours in collecting and study for 

 over twenty-five years. This collection contains over 

 115,000 pinned specimens, and much additional material 

 unpinned and in alcohol. This generous gift to the 

 Government had long been contemplated by Dr. Riley, 

 who wishes to be, as far as possible, instrumental in forming 

 a national collection of insects. In his letter of presentation 

 he remarked :— " While the future of any institution de- 

 pendent on Congressional support may not be so certain 

 as that of one supported by endowment, I make this 

 donation in the firm belief and full confidence that the 

 National Museum is already so well established in public 

 estiination that it must inevitably grow until it shall rival, 

 and ultimately surpass, other institutions in this country, 

 or the world, as a repository of natural history collections 



