60 Report of the President 



to visitors in the tower room adjoining the North American 

 Archaeological Hall. This should be considered as the begin- 

 ning of a prehistorical exhibit of the evidences of man's an- 

 tiquity in the Old World. In the same hall, Mr. Ernest Volk 

 has made the final arrangement of his exhibit of the evidences 

 of man's antiquity in the Delaware Valley. As the latter 

 represents the results of almost thirty years' continuous re- 

 search under the direction of Professor F. W. Putnam, it is an 

 acquisition of the first importance. 



In the North Pacific Coast Hall were installed four large 

 mural panels painted by Mr. Will S. Taylor, representing life 

 scenes among the Chilkat, Bella Coola, Tsimshian and Haida 

 Indians. It is intended that these paintings shall serve as 

 substitutes for habitat groups. Two more panels are practi- 

 cally ready for exhibition, completing the series representing 

 material life. It is planned to place on the other side of the 

 hall a similar series representing religious practices and con- 

 ceptions. 



The Museum possesses an excellent series of archaeologi- 

 cal specimens from Peru and other parts of western South 

 America. These occupy one si'de of the South American Hall 

 where they have been newly arranged to represent the cultural 

 characteristics of the various geographical localities. In the 

 Mexican and Central American Hall several minor changes 

 have been made to give the respective culture areas relatively 

 full representation. 



During the year the organization of the ethnological storage 

 collections was practically completed, so that now any speci- 

 men in our collections is available for study or other purposes 

 upon a moment's notice. Also work upon the card catalogue 

 of the department has been advanced so that it is now com- 

 plete for the Eskimoan, North Pacific Coast, Eastern Wood- 

 lands, Plains and Southwestern areas. This gives us for the 

 first time a complete definite locality catalogue. 



The field investigations of the department have been 

 directed in the main toward the solution of one general 

 problem: the historical relations of cultures up and down the 

 central portions of the United States and Canada. A few 

 years ago this began with simultaneous visits to the Cree 



