688 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
So far as practical anthropological work is concerned, it is very 
advisable that early efforts should be extended to obtain permission 
for free exploration in Mexico and other American republics. There 
are great gaps in our knowledge and collections of these regions, and 
efforts to fill these meet with more and more difficulty, especially in 
Mexico, on account of the restrictions imposed upon explorations. 
These restrictions would be excusable if they would lead to the 
securing of the very valuable archzological and ethnological material 
found in the countries where these rules have been made, but such 
is far from being the case. The countries which are richest in 
various remains do very little to preserve these remains. In the 
mean time valuable things are being constantly destroyed by ignorant 
people. The anthropologists of the United States should not allow 
these matters to go on, but make a determined effort to have the 
restrictions to explorations recalled. At this very moment one of the 
Mexican custom houses holds a valuable and largely unique, though 
fortunately not large, American collection. The collection consists 
of petroglyphs which were obtained at great pains from the deep 
Sierras, where they were going to a speedy ruin. They are held 
on the supposition that they are parts of “some Aztec temple.” 
In the last place, it seems to me to be to our best interest to 
prevent as far as possible the exportation of other than duplicate 
specimens of American aboriginal art into Europe. Many collections 
that go to Europe, particularly to Germany and France, could be 
bought here. This would save the American student the necessity 
of consulting, in his investigations concerning his own or near coun- 
tries, European. publications and museums. A Hes ee 
NEw YORK. 
