DOMINION MUSEUM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 330, 17 October 1908, Page 7

DOMINION MUSEUM.

AN IMPORTANT OFFER. Mr. 11. Hamilton, Director of tlio Dominion Museum, lias received oil' important offer from the American Museum of Natural History, made in tlio following letter: — "Through Mr. T. E. Donne wo hayo learned that your museum is engaged in the preparation of models of ten Maoris, ranging from old tattoed men to types of tlio younger generation. Ho also informs us that it is your intention to mako duplicate easts of these figures for exchange with other museums. In the event of your carrying out this plan, wo should bo'very glad indeed if it wore possible for tlio American; Museum to arrange an exchango with, you for a sories of theso casts. We lnivo a largo amount of archaeological material from the North American Indians, and especially from Mexico and Peru. V;c could provido large casts of tho. work of the Aztecs. Wo also have very extensive collections from the Philippines, which wo could oflor in exchange. Tho museum • has prepared a large scries of types (life size) of different races, particularly tho North American Indians, which, perhaps, would interest you; ,or, possibly you would prefer mounted specimens of North . American mammals and birds, or somo of tho fossils from our Western States. AVe aro sending you under separate cover a few photographs of material which is available for exchange." This is a most pleasing offer, and shows, also, tho value which is attached to Mr. Illingworth's scries of busts across tho sea. It will bo somo time, however, boforo duplicate casts aro available, and in the present cramped premises of tho museum it will be impossible to find room for the objects offered in exchange. The olfer, however, will not go unaccepted. The museum has recently acquired from one of tlio Solomon Islands a very interesting specimen of a cylindrical stone beater, longitudinally grooved 011 ono sido, used in tli'e preparation of tapa cloth. Stono beaters aro extremely rare, though tho wooden implements are found throughout Polynesia. A small but well-made food-pounder from Mangaia, ono of the most interesting of tho Cook Islands, has been lidded to the museum collection. Owing to tho ravages of collectors these articles aro becoming very raro.