158 Field Museum of Natural History — Reports, Vol. V. 



these pictiires as charms. This is a unique collection made in the course 

 of many years, and its value is enhanced by a complete transliteration 

 and translation of the legends printed on the engravings, which Mr. Ito 

 himself has kindly suppHed. A recent purchase comprises about 390 

 Eskimo objects acqtdred by Mr. Petersen at Nome, Alaska, during his 

 residence there. The whole collection adds materially to the strength 

 of present exhibits from the Arctic regions. It is especially notable for 

 the great variety of fine mammoth and walrus ivories, and small ivory 

 objects, as carved hair combs, labrets, animal carvings, float plugs, 

 belt fastenings, dart heads, etc., along with many fine larger artifacts. 

 Also some grave material is included in this collection. The collections 

 from the Far East were enriched by the purchase of six exquisite cere- 

 monial ivory tablets secured by Dr. John C. Ferguson, state counsellor 

 of the Chinese Government. These specimens are exceedingly rare, and 

 can be obtained only from high officials who inherited them from their 

 forefathers. They come down from the Ming dynasty (1368-1643), 

 and were used by dignitaries of rank for jotting down memoranda and 

 to be held in their hands at audiences with the emperor. The most 

 notable accession of the year in the field of Latin American archaeology 

 was a collection of artifacts from the region of Casas Grandes, Northern 

 Mexico. These were excavated by Captains J. W. Wright and A. T. 

 Cooper at Colonia Dublan, head-quarters of the American ptinitive 

 expedition, and presented to the Museum through General Pershing. 

 The collection consists principally of stone implements, and includes 

 several of the large rectangular trough-shaped metates, characteristic 

 of this region, which are of considerable interest and very rarely seen 

 in museimis. 



The Department of Botany received the following important 

 additions to its herbarium series during the year : The private herbariimi 

 of John Murdoch, Jr., presented to the Museum by his widow. It con- 

 tains 3,322 sheets of plants, principally his personal collections in 

 Massachusetts, Colorado, California and South Dakota. Other notable 

 accessions were: Ames' Orchids 84; Bebb, Illinois 174; Blanchard, 

 Vermont and District of Columbia 235; Britton, Britton & Wilson, 

 Cuba and Isle of Pines 763; Collins, Bermuda 259; Cook, Canary 

 Islands 383; Femald, Newfoundland 292; Fumess, Mexico 91; Gates, 

 Illinois 1,447; Gaumer, Yucatan 760; Gronemann, Illinois 125; Heller, 

 California and Oregon 403; Hill, Illinois and Indiana 1,769; King, 

 Massachusetts 181; Lansing, Illinois 293; Leiberg, Oregon 514; Letter- 

 man, Missouri 285; Levine, China 1,046; McDonald, Illinois 11 1; 

 Ridgeway, Illinois 169; Roosevelt African Expedition 135; Standley, 

 Florida 102; Stewart, Galapagos 154; Vasey, Illinois 238; and Walker, 



