REPORT OF THE SECEETARY. 53 



The independence of voice and drum noted by Miss Densmore in previous 

 studies was further shown by the data collected during the year; also the 

 prominence of the descending interval of the minor third, and the marked use 

 of overtones in the choice of melodic material. 



The songs collected comprise a group of 40 secured at Ponima, a remote 

 village on the Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota, and the series of war songs 

 which Miss Densmore is now completing and which she expects to finish before 

 the close of the calendar year. It is the intention to combine the analyses of 

 these with the analyses contained in Bulletin 45 of the Bureau, always bringing 

 forward previous work, in order that the results may be cumulative. It is Miss 

 Densmore's desire, before leaving the Chippewa work, to analyze about 500 

 songs collected from a representative number of localities, as the data derived 

 from systematic analyses of that number of songs should be a safe basis for 

 what might be termed a scientific musical study of primitive song. 



Miss Alice C. Fletcher and Mr. Francis La Flesche have continued the proof 

 revision of their monograph of the Omaha Indians to accompany the Twenty- 

 seventh Annual Report, a part of which was in page form at the close of the 

 fiscal year. 



Mr. J. P. Dunn pursued his studies of the Algonquian tribes of the Middle 

 West under a small allotment of funds by the Bureau, but comparatively little 

 progress was made, as it was found advisable to hold the investigations some- 

 what in abeyance until two important manuscript dictionaries — one of the 

 Peoria, the other of the Miami language — known to exist, could be carefully 

 examined, with a view of avoiding repetition of effort. Mr. Dunn was enabled, 

 however, to revise and annotate completely a text in the Miami and Peoria 

 dialects recorded by the late Doctor Gatschet. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



The editorial work of the Bureau was conducted by Mr. J. G. Gurley, 

 who from time to time, as pressure required, had the benefit of the aid of Mr. 

 Stanley Searles. All the publications of the Bureau have passed under Mr. 

 Gurley's editorial supervision, with the exception of part 2 of Bulletin 30 (Hand- 

 book of American Indians), which has been in special charge of Mr. F. W. 

 Hodge, editor of the work, assisted by Mrs. F. S. Nichols. In order to facilitate 

 progress in the publication of the Handbook of American Indian Languages, the 

 editor thereof, Dr. Franz Boas, assumed entire charge of the proof reading in 

 January, thus enabling Mr. Gurley to devote more time to the numerous other 

 publications passing through press. 



In all, the manuscripts of seven publications — Bulletins 37, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 

 and 51 — were prepared for the Government Printing Office, while proof reading 

 was continued on nine publications — the Twenty-seventh Annual Report and 

 Bulletins 30 (part 2), 38, 39, 40 (part 1), 41, 43, 46, and 47, which were in 

 hand in various stages of progress at the beginning of the fiscal year. The 

 number of publications issued was five — BulletiDS 38, 39, 41, 48, and 49. The 

 Twenty-seventh Annual Report is in type and a substantial beginning was made 

 toward putting it into page form. The proof of the " accompanying paper " on 

 the Omaha Indians, by Miss Fletcher and Mr. La Flesche, was critically read by 

 the authors and is in condition to be completed in a few months. Bulletins 37 

 and 43 are practically ready for the bindery, and Bulletins 40 (part 1) and 45 

 are nearly as far advanced. Bulletin 44 had the benefit of revision by the prin- 

 cipal author, Dr. Cyrus Thomas, shortly before his death, and a second galley 

 proof was received. The first galley proof of Bulletins 50 and 51 was placed 



