DEPARTMENT OF PREHISTORIC ANTHROPOLOGY. 185 



tern adopted in the early history of the Museum was to note only the 

 State from which the specimen came. The locality within the State 

 was not usually given. Therefore we find ourselves hampered in mak- 

 ing the geographical distribution more minute than by States, however 

 desirable this may be. We may be able to make the distribution more 

 in detail which, while it will entail much work and require considerable 

 time, will be correspondingly valuable when completed. It is my pres- 

 ent intention to pursue this scheme of localized distribution as far as 

 possible, so as to include what we may suppose to have been the territo- 

 ries occupied by one prehistoric tribe or people and to make the bound- 

 aries such as were established by nature and what we may suppose 

 divided the tribes. The intended units of display will therefore include 

 the valleys of rivers, both sides of the river being equally represented. 

 For example, the Susquehanna Eiver should be represented as a unit 

 independently of the boundary line of Maryland and Pennsylvania 

 which cross it ; the same with the Delaware Eiver independent of the 

 boundary line between Pennsylvania and Delaware. 



The dividing line between these units might be such natural obstacles 

 as the Allegheny Mountains, the Chesapeake Bay, etc., which may be 

 supposed to have served as frontiers of greater or less obstruction, and 

 so to have divided the prehistoric tribes or peoples. But this is a 

 scheme in the indefinite future, and is liable to modification. 



EXHIBITION AND STUDY SERIES. 



The exhibition series is arranged in cases with a view to showing the 

 industries of prehistoric man, divided according to epochs and geo- 

 graphic location. The subject of the division of museums according to 

 the object desired and the people to be benefited, has been presented and 

 argued many times. An exhibition series should be provided for the 

 average visitor who has but a few minutes to devote to the display ; while 

 a study series should be for the student who desires better instruction in 

 the scientific aspect of the case. This division has never been made in 

 my department until the present fiscal year. I have always recognized 

 its benefit, even its necessity, and therefore determined that, laying 

 aside all other work, I would arrange a series of specimens as a 

 museum for exhibition and public instruction. This I have called a 

 synoptical case or series of cases. I have made use of four double 

 sloping-top cases, which placed end to end make a continuous 

 series across the hall. On the side nearest the door and first of ap- 

 proach, are arranged specimens from other countries than America, 

 upon the farther side specimens from America. The European speci- 

 mens are divided according to their respective ages ; paleolithic, neo- 

 lithic, and bronze. Each of these ages is again divided into epochs, 

 and the epochs are divided into countries and according to localities. 

 I do not burden this report with detailed descriptions of these sub- 

 divisions. Suffice it to say that nearly every country in Europe is rep- 



