REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49 



sonian Institution, and it was received in April last, and is, by tar, the 

 most complete series of the kind in existence, embracing as it does a 

 number of peculiar forms, scarcely known elsewhere. 



Mr. Hugo Finck, of Cordova, has furnished some very ancient Ameri- 

 can antiquities, and corresponding objects from Salvador have been 

 supplied by Dr. Flint. Professor Gabb has contributed an extremely 

 exhaustive and important collection of articles from Costa Rica, leaving 

 but little to be desired in the line of ethnology from that country. Mr. 

 Steinberg has sent some interesting specimens, models of boats, &c, 

 from the Samoan Islands. Mr. J. B. Norton contributed a collection of 

 antiquities from Peru, including quite a number of interesting articles 

 in bronze. 



From the University of Christiania has been received a very interest- 

 ing group consisting of a life-size figure of a Laplander in his native 

 costume seated in a sledge attached to a mounted reindeer, the whole 

 forming an interesting ethnological illustration of the art of locomotion 

 in Scandinavia. 



The additions to the department of mineralogy have also been very 

 great, and will be found detailed in the accompanying list. 



The number of miscellaneous collections received during the year, cov- 

 ering more than one department of natural history, has been very great. 

 These have been principally from Government expeditions, the collec- 

 tions of which were deposited with the Smithsonian Institution, in com- 

 pliance with the law of Congress constituting it the custodian of the 

 National Museum. Among the more important of these, we may men- 

 tion the collections made by the party of Lieut. George M. Wheeler in 

 the West, embracing a large variety of objects, including many skins of 

 mammals, birds, eggs, reptiles, insects, &c. The collections of Major 

 Powell, although principally ethnological, and referred to under that 

 head, also embraced numerous animals and other objects. 



In the report for 1874, reference was made to the preparations by the 

 United States for the Transit of Venus expedition and the arrangements 

 of the Institution to secure interesting objects of ethnology aud natural 

 history ; and I am happy to say that the results have been far beyond 

 all reasonable expectations. The most valuable collection of the kind 

 was that made by Dr. J. G. Kidder, assistant surgeon on board the 

 Swatara, and who, on the arrival of the vessel at Kerguelen Island, 

 remained with the astronomical party, aud devoted his energies to the 

 investigation of the natural history of that little-known land. His col- 

 lections made there embrace large numbers of birds, eggs, some mam- 

 mals, and marine invertebrates and plants. A report on the results of 

 his labors occupies two numbers of the lately commenced Bulletin of 

 the United States National Museum. Dr. Kershner, the surgeon of 

 the Swatara, also made large contributions somewhat similar in their 

 general character to those of Dr. Kidder, and embracing species col- 

 lected at ports that were visited by the vessel. 

 S. Mis. H5 4 



