26 EEPOET OF THE SECEETAKY. 



THE BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY. 



The energies of the Bureau during the jDast year have been devoted 

 chiefly to preparing for publication the proposed Handbook of 

 Indians, which ^Yill inchide not only descriptions of the tribes and 

 their settlements, but also popular articles covering the whole range 

 of ethnological and archaeological research relating to them. No 

 AYork of its kind so comprehensive in scope has ever been attempted, 

 and the effort to combine popular treatment with scientific accuracy 

 has involved an extra amount of time and labor. Almost all the 

 prominent ethnologists of the country have written special articles 

 for the Handbook, and all the staff of the Bureau and ethnologists 

 resident in the city have aided in criticism and revision. 



Though somewhat curtailed through the necessity of retaining 

 several ethnologists for work on the Handbook, the field work of the 

 Bureau has been continued in Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, Indian 

 Territor}?^, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Mexico. Dr. J. Walter 

 FeAvkes, under a grant from the Smithsonian Institution, made an 

 extended archaeological trip through Mexico; Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, of 

 the National Museum, made a visit to Arizona in behalf of the 

 Bureau; and Mr. E. L. Hewett was commissioned to visit New Mex- 

 ico for the purpose of making researches among the ancient ruins of 

 the so-called Pajarito Park district. 



The systematic stud}^ of visiting -Indian delegations has been con- 

 tinued with success. During the year 22 delegations consented to 

 be photographed, and in some cases allowed themselves to be meas- 

 ured and even to have plaster casts of their faces taken. 



The Avork of compiling an archaeological map of the United 

 States, AAdiich had receiv^ed some attention in preAdous years, Avas 

 carried forAA^ard AA'ith all possible dispatch during the past year. 



INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES. 



The International Exchange Service of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion has for more than fifty years been the medium of exchange of 

 documents and scientific publications betAveen the Government and 

 learned institutions of the United States and those of foreign coun- 

 tries. Through its operations the Library of Congress has secured 

 a large collection of j)ublic documents, and an unequaled collection of 

 scientific serials has been acquired by the Institution for its deposit 

 in the Library of Congress. Each year the service groAA^s in size 

 and importance. The Aveight of packages handled b}' it in 1899 

 was 317,883 pounds; in 1905 it Avas 474,871 pounds, an increase of 

 40 per cent in six years. 



