KEPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. C>9 



Arctic coast. — Captain Bealy and officers of the revenue steamer Cot 



win have supplied collections of minerals, birds, fish, invertebrates, &o., 



from I lot ham Inlet and other points along the coast. 



Lieut. George M. Stoney, r. B. N., of the schooner Ounalaska, who 



had visited Arctic America and explored Ilotham hdet and the rivers 



entering into it, obtained an interesting series of rocks from the volcano 

 in Behring'a Sea, The collections made by him have not, however, ye1 



come to hand. 



P>oth Captain Bealy and Lieutenant Stoney have furnished specimens 



of some minerals which were supposed to be jade, but which proved to 



be serpentine and green quartzite. 

 The Pacific steam Whaling Company established during the year a 



depot at Cape Lisbnrne, with Mr. I). Woolfe in command, for the pur 

 pose Of mining coal for the use of the whalers, and specimens of this 

 coal and of the associated fossils have been furnished. 



The North Pacific, — Reference was made in a previous report to the 

 very important work accomplished by Dr. I.. Stejneger in Camtschatka 

 and the adjacent group of the Commander Islands. Through thecour- 

 tesy of Governor G-rebnit&ki, in command of these islands, a Dumber of 

 additional collections were received. 



Dr. Stejneger also received from Captain Hunter some skins and 

 skeletons of the mountain sheep of Kamtschatka. 



Alaska, — The Signal Service station at Nushagak, on Bristol Hay, has 

 been re-established by Mr. J. W. Johnson, from whom a collection of 

 birds was lately received, which was specially noteworthy as containing 

 specimens of the Alaska willow wren and of the yellow wagtail, repre- 

 senting a locality many hundreds of miles further south than Saint 

 Michael's, the place of previous record. 



Mr. John J. McLean, of the Signal Service, stationed at Sitka, has 

 secured many ethnological objects of great rarity. 



Mr. W. J. Fischer, who is stationed by the Coast Survey at Kodiak, 

 has used many opportunities both there and in the adjacent regions to 

 continue his important work; this including much information in re- 

 gard to the manners and characteristics of the native tribes. 



From the Rev. J. Loornis Gould a collection of Indian carvings and 

 other articles of ethnology was obtained, representing some (piite new 

 forms of aboriginal construction. 



Oregon and California. — From Oregon the most noteworthy collec- 

 tions are those furnished by Capt. Charles Bendire, at Fori Klamath. 



The returns from California consist of numerous collections of shells, 

 minerals, fossils, and archaeological objects from Mr. E. E. C. Stearns. 



Other specimens are birds from Mr. L. Belding, and fossils from Mr. 

 C. K. Orcutt. 



Mr. Charles 11. Townsend, of the United States Pish Commission, 

 has supplied the most extensive collection of mammals ever received 

 from California. The collection also embraces numerous skins, skele- 



