REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF ETHNOLOGY IN THE U. S. 

 NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1885. 



By Otis T. Mason, Curator. 



During the first six months of the year 1885 the work accomplished 

 in the Department of Ethnology has been as follows : 



The curator, having spent the first year of his official connection with 

 the Museum in getting control of all the material relating to ethnology, 

 commenced, the present year, to arrange the different kinds of objects 

 upon the following basis : 



Considering the whole human race in space and time as a single 

 group, and all of the arts and industries of man in the light of genera 

 and species, the arrangement of the material will be such as to show the 

 natural history of the objects. All of the lines of investigation pursued 

 by naturalists in their respective fields may here be followed. 



With a view to the elaboration of this idea, three monographs were 

 prepared — two by the curator and one by Mr. John Murdoch — to illus- 

 trate the plan here adopted. 



These papers were published in the Museum report for 1884. . 



The collections which were received during these months will be de- 

 scribed according to geographical distribution, classes of objects, and 

 the several collectors. Large accessions to the department were made 

 from the New Orleans Exposition, which will be described in the next 

 report. 



In the first half year much time was spent in devising the best means 

 of exhibiting such objects as spears, bows and arrows, and material that 

 could not be installed in the ordinary Museum cases. 



Facilities for study have been afforded to every student who has 

 made application for the privilege of examining specimens. 



In January, Dr. Franz Boas, of Germany, spent a great deal of time 

 in studying the collections of Hall and others from Baffin's Land. His 

 report will be published by the Bureau of Ethnology. 



In February, Dr. Simmons, formerly of Japan, compared the carvings 

 of the I^orthwest Coast Indians with the forms familiar to him in Japa- 

 nese art. In this month also Dr. Nash spent several days in receiving 

 special instructions with relation to collections intended to be made in 

 Northwest Alaska. 



Exchanges have been made with T. L. Flood, of Meadville, Pa., and 

 Prof. E. B. Tylor, for the University of Oxford, England. 



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