Report of the President. 2 1 



Expedition to China. — The East Asiatic work provided for by 

 Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, and carried on by Dr. Berthold Laufer, 

 has been continued during the past year. Early in the 

 year, Dr. Laufer moved to Peking, where he collected much 

 material relating to the daily life of the people, and at the 

 same time made ethnological and historical studies which 

 promise important scientific results. 



Hyde Expedition. — Dr. Hrdlicka made two expeditions to 

 the region of the Southwest and to northern Mexico during 

 the year, both under the patronage of the Messrs. Hyde, and 

 the material obtained is their gift to the Museum. During 

 these expeditions Dr. Hrdlicka obtained anthropometric data 

 and many photographs relating to twenty-one tribes in the 

 Southwestern Territories and in northern Mexico. He also 

 secured a large number of skulls and several skeletons from 

 the same region, including the first Yaqui skulls known; also 

 numerous ethnological and archaeological specimens, many of 

 special importance in filling gaps in our collections. 



Mexican Expedition. — Mr. Saville was absent in the field 

 from December, 1901, until May, 1902, working in the State 

 of Oaxaca, Mexico, with funds given by the Duke of Loubat, 

 and completed the work that he had planned for that part of 

 Mexico. The results throw much light on the burial customs of 

 the ancient Zapotecans, and the collections obtained from the 

 excavation add materially to the importance of our collection 

 in the Museum. A visit was made to Mitla and to ruins in the 

 southern part of the Oaxaca Valley, and also to the Mixteca 

 mountains at Nochistlan. Rare specimens of gold, copper 

 and jadeite secured by the expedition, added to what we al- 

 ready have in the Museum, make this part of our Mexican 

 collections the best in any museum. 



From the Duke of Loubat, besides the material obtained 

 from this expedition, we have received a gem collection of 

 great importance from the state of Oaxaca. From Mr. Maler 

 we have received several pieces of Maya pottery from Yucatan 

 and Tabasco; and from Mr. Chavero, a post-Columbian codex 

 of considerable interest. 



