110 
portraits of three hundred and fifty men and women, 
and over three thousand figures of Indians of the 
tribes known as Sacs, Foxes, Konzas, Osages, Co- 
manches, Pawnees, Kiowas, Sioux, Omahas, Missou- 
ries, Mandans, Flatheads, Blackfeet, Crows, Gros 
Ventres, Crees, Assineboins, Chippewas, Iroquois, 
Ottawas, Winnebagoes, and twenty-seven other tribes. 
Its value as a record of ethnological characters is in- 
estimable. 
There were two collections, — one consisting of the 
original paintings done in the field, exhibited by Mr. 
Catlin for many years in Europe; the other, copies 
made at a later date, which was exhibited in the old 
Smithsonian building many years ago, and now the 
property of Mr. Catlin’s heirs. The collection given 
to the museum is the original one, and is regarded by 
artists and ethnologists as by far the most valuable. 
The pictures, which have been for fifteen years stored 
away in a warehouse in Philadelphia, are in a remark- 
ably good state of preservation. 
There are also on exhibition five paintings by Stan- 
ley, —all that remains of the Stanley collection of 
Indian paintings destroyed by the fire in the Smith- 
sonian building in 1865. 
Naval officers in the museum. —In continuance of 
the policy adopted two years ago, the secretary of 
the navy has detailed six more ensigns to duty in the 
museum. ‘These are graduates of the Naval acad- 
emy in the classes of t877-79, who have just finished 
their first three years’ cruise, and will now give two 
years to scientific work under the direction of the 
officers of the museum. Mr. C. S. McClain has been 
assigned to the department of marine invertebrates ; 
Mr. C. H. Harlow, to that of arts and industries; 
Mr. H. M. Witzul, to metallurgy; Mr. H. S. Knapp 
and Mr. O. G. Dodge, to mineralogy. 
Department of mineralogy. — Prof. F. W. Clarke, 
chemist of the Geological survey, has been appointed 
honorary curator of minerals, and is preparing a se- 
ries of minerals for exhibition. Mr. W. S. Yeates, 
aid in the museum, who has been in temporary charge 
of the minerals since the death of Dr. Hawes, the 
former curator, is acting as assistant in this depart- 
ment. 
Mr. Joseph Willcox of Philadelphia has deposited 
his collection of American minerals in the museum, 
and one thousand of the choicest specimens have 
been placed on exhibition. 
Foods and textiles. —Mr. Romyn Hitchcock is 
acting as assistant curator, having in charge the col- 
lections of foods and textiles. The collection is very 
rich in the textile products of the Indians, and has 
considerable quantities of food-materials acquired 
from foreign governments at the close of the Phila- 
delphia exhibition. 
Explorations in Corea. — Mr. Pierre L. Jouy, of the 
museum staff, is attached to the American embassy 
in Corea, and is making zoélogical explorations. En- 
sign J. C. Bernadou, U.S.N., has sailed for Corea, to 
spend two years in ethnological and mineralogical 
explorations. Mr. Bernadou was one of the officers 
detailed to duty at the museum last year. 
Voyage of the Albatross. —The steamer Alba- 
SCIENCE, 
[Vou. ILL, No. 51. 
tross sailed from Norfolk, Jan. 8, for a four-months’ 
cruise in the Caribbean Sea, in the service of the 
hydrographic office of the navy. She is under com- 
mand of Lieut. Z. L. Tanner, and carries a special 
staff of zodlogical workers, including Mr. J. E. Bene- 
dict, naturalist in charge; Mr. Willard Nye, jun.; 
and Ensigns Miner, Garrett, and Ackerman, U.S.N., 
of the museum staff. 
Mammal department. — Mr. Frederick W. True, 
curator of mammals, is in England, studying methods 
of investigation and museum administration with 
Professor Flower, at the Royal college of surgeons 
in London. 
Foraminifera. — Prof. L. A. Lee of Bowdoin col- 
lege was in Washington, Jan. 3 to Jan. 8, studying 
the museum collections of foraminifera with refer- 
ence to his investigations upon the materials obtained 
by the Fish commission. 
Director’s office. — During the reconstruction of 
the east end of the Smithsonian building, Professor 
Baird is occupying an office in the north-west pavilion 
of the museum. 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
ALL the parties sent out by the various govern- 
ments at the suggestion of the International polar 
commission have returned home safely, and with 
valuable meteorological and magnetic records, with 
the exception of three. The Russian station at the 
mouth of the Lena will continue its work for another 
year, on account of delay from storms in reaching its 
destination. The Finnish, at Sodankyla, although it 
has finished one good year’s work, will continue for 
another, as the government of Finland has supplied 
the necessary funds. The misfortunes of the Greely 
party are too well known. 
— The first number of the Auk, published under 
the auspices of the newly organized American orni- 
thologists’ union, closely resembles the Bulletin of 
the Nuttall club, of which it is the continuation, and - 
bids fair to be a credit to American ornithologists. 
An excellent colored plate forms a frontispiece to the 
number, and the articles are varied and interesting. 
One would perhaps justly complain of the space 
given to disputes over words, and lament the entire 
absence of papers upon either the anatomy or the 
general structure of birds, but these are perhaps to 
come in future numbers; and there is a pleasant fla- 
vor of careful out-door observation running through 
some of the papers, such as those of Messrs. Brewster, 
Barrows, and Bicknell. The effect of the formation 
of the union four months ago, is already seen in the 
plan offered by the committee charged with the sub- 
ject for co-operative work in the study of bird-migra- 
tion on this continent. We think a brief account of 
the formation and purpose of the union would have 
been a fitting introduction to the number. 
— Professor F. M. Snow of the University of Kan- 
sas, from observations taken at Lawrence, reports 
that only three Decembers in the past sixteen years — 
have been milder than that just passed, — 1875, 1877, 
