REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 29 



F.— REVIEW OF WOEK IN THE SCIENTIFIC DEPARTMENTS. 



DIVISION OF ANTHROPOLOGY. 



Department of Ethnology. — The first three months of the year covered 

 by this report were spent by Prof. Otis T. Mason, curator, in studying 

 the anthropological collections in Europe, especially those at the Paris 

 Exposition, during the session of the Tenth International Congress of 

 Anthropology and Prehistoric Archaeology, an account of which is 

 submitted in his annual report. 



The curator is giving much attention to three special lines of research 

 and collection in connection with the work of his department; first, 

 among the Indian tribes of our own country; second, among the South 

 American tribes; third, among the African tribes of the west coast, 

 especially those whose descendants made up the former slave popula- 

 tion of the United States, for the purpose of comparison with the effects 

 which civilization has had upon the race in this country. 



Following up the work of former years, much time has been devoted 

 to the study of the bow, the arrow, the quiver and armor. 



Mr. Walter Hough is making a thorough study of the production of 

 fire by primitive peoples, and has published in the Museum report 

 for 1888 an exhaustive paper on fire-making apparatus, as represented 

 in the collections of the U. S. National Museum. 



Among the most important accessions is the collection of Japanese 

 and Aino material gathered by Mr. Romyn Hitchcock. This material 

 has been labeled and installed in the Museum. The collection of Afri- 

 can material has been enriched by the addition of objects from the 

 Inhambane Zulus, collected by the missionary, Rev. E. H. Richards, 

 and presented by Oberlin College. Mr. W. H. Brown, naturalist of the 

 United States Eclipse Expedition, secured material from Angola, and 

 Mr. J. H. Camp contributed objects from the Congo. 



Several valuable collections of Samoan material have been received 

 through Admiral Kimberly, U. S. Navy, and from Ensign W. E. Safford. 

 Mrs. H. A. P. Carter has given photographs and specimens from the 

 Sandwich Islands. Dr. H. N. Allen, court physician to the King of 

 Corea, has deposited in the Museum his rich collection from that king- 

 dom. Dr. Washington Matthews's collection of Navajo silver-work has 

 been acquired ; also specimens of old Indian work of great value from 

 Rev. E. C. Chirouse through the Department of the Interior; speci- 

 mens from Idaho and Washington from Dr. George M. Kober, U. S. 

 Army, and collections from the Hupa Valley, California, made by N. J. 

 Purcell and Jeremiah Curtin. 



Department of American Prehistoric Pottery. — The installation of the 

 exhibition series of pottery is now almost completed, and very little re- 

 mains to be clone excepting in connection with the labeling of specimens. 

 Mr. William H. Holmes has continued to act as honorary curator of 



