SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 72. NUMBER 1 EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD-WORK OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION IN 1919 (Publication 2581) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 1920 BALTIMORE, MD., U. S. A. CONTEXTS pa(;e Introduction I (Geological Exploration in the Canadian Rockies i (Geological and Paleontological Explorations and Researches i6 Expedition to South America in tlie Interests of the Astrophj'sical Ohservatory 24 Australian Expedition 28 The Collins-Garner Congo Expedition 33 Explorations in Santo Domingo 34 Botanical Exploration in (ilacier National Park. Montana 36 Exjjlorations and Cerion Studies on the hlorida Keys 41 Eield Work on the Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 47 Archeological Excavations in Arizona 64 Archeological Investigations in I'tah and Arizona 66 Field Work on the Iroquois of New York and Canada 69 Osage Trihal Rites, Oklahoma 71 Ethnological Studies in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California '/2> Music of the Pawnee, Oklahoma 75 jMaterial Culture of the Chippewa of Canada • 78 !$. "% EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD-WORK OF THE SMITH- SONIAN INSTITUTION IN 1919 IXTRODUCTION An important phase of the Institution's work, in carrying out one of its fundamental purposes, the " increase of knowledge," is the scientific exploration by members of the sta.fi of regions in this country and abroad previously imperfectly known to science. The more important of these field researches carried on during 1919 are here described briefly, for the most part by the explorers themselves. Naturally the great war held in abeyance a number of proposed expeditions, some of which it has since been possible to send out on the resumption of a peace status. GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES Geological explorations were continued in the Canadian Rocky ^Mountains during" the field season of 1919 with two objects in view: ( ) section of I The discovery of an unmetamorphosed. undisturbed the Upper Cambrian formations north of the Canadian Pacific Railway; and (2) the collection of fossils to determine the various formations and to correlate them with the Tapper Cambrian forma- tions elsewhere. The party going from W^ashington consisted of Dr. and ]\Irs. Charles D. Walcott and Arthur Brown, who has accompanied them for a number of years. Early in July an attempt was made to reach Ghost River northeast of Banfi:', Alberta, but this failed owing to the extensive outbreak of forest fires in that region. In August the party |)roceeded north from Lake Louise over Bow Pass down the Mistaya Creek to the Saskatchewan River, and thence up to the head-waters of the Middle Fork in the area about Glacier Lake, where a wonderfully well preserved Upper Cambrian series of rocks was found that had been cut across in pre-glacial time by a deep east-and-west canyon valley, at the head of which were two beautiful glaciers, which are illustrated by the panoramic view figure I (Frontispiece), and more in detail by figures 5. 7. 8. 9, and 10. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 72, No. 1 SMITHSONIAN M ISCELLANEOL'S COLLECTIONS \OL. The character of the mountains about the head-waters of the Middle Fork of the Saskatchewan is ilkistrated by figure 2, where a glacial stream flows out through a deeply eroded valley with high ridges and ])eaks rising in steej:) slopes and cliffs. The position of the camp in Glacier Lake canyon is shown in figure 3. and the outlook to the west toward the glacier from the camp by figure 5, and to the Fig. 2.—View looking up the Middle Fork (Howse River) of the Sas- katchewan River to Howse Pass (5,000') on the Continental Divide. In the distance beyond Howse Pass the peaks of the Van Home Range and Mount Vaux of the Ottertail Range, and on the right and above the Pass Mount Conway, and to the extreme right the eastern ridge of Mount Outram. Locality.—View taken from the upper slope of Survey Peak above Glacier Lake, about 48 miles (76.S km.) northwest of Lake Louise station on the Canadian Pacific Railroad, Alberta, Canada. Photograph by Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. east by figure 4, where the <lark massive bulk of Mount Murchison rises in cliff's abtjve the canyon of the Mistaya River along which the trail from I'.ow Pass descends. 'J'he measured geological section begins at the foot of the ridge at the extreme left of figure i, and was measiu-ed in the cliff's and slopes, and thus carried to the side of the Mons glacier shown in NO. I SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I9T9 the central portion of figure i, the upper hmit of the section being above the narrow vertical F-shapeci snow bank directly over the glacier. The evenly bedded rocks sloped at an angle of from lo to 20 degrees, westward, which accounts for the great thickness mea- sured, although the elevation above the canyon bed was not more than 3,500 feet. Fig. 3. —Walcott camp located in the brush beside Glacier River, i mile (1.6 km.) below the foot of Southeast Lyell Gacier. which is shown more distinctly in ligure 5. Photograph by Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. The glaciers.—The Southeast Lyell Glacier is beautifully shown in figure i. and also in figure 5, and more in detail by figure 6, where it is cascading' over a high clifif. Figure i is a profile view of Lyell Glacier from the Continental Divide on the right to where it abuts ag-ainst the low clifif on the left. In figure 6 the foot of the glacier is shown, along" with large amounts of debris forming the terminal moraine, also the dark mass of broken rock and debris carried on the back of the glacier, which is shown in figures i and 6. A portion of the great snow field from which both Lyell and Mons glaciers flow is shown on the slope of Mons Peak on the left side of figure 5. This snow field extends back of Division Mountain, SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. J2 NO. I SMITHSONIAN I-:XPLORATIONS, I919 SMITIISOXIAN MISCELLAXEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 72 NO. I SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I919 dividing" Mens and Lyell glaciers, and continues along the Conti- nental Divide for many miles, contributing to glaciers both on the Pacific and Eastern sides of the Rockies. Fig. 7. —View of the ice fall of Southeast Lyell Glacier, taken from the surface of the glacier below the fall. The locality is the same as for figure 6. Photograph by Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. IMons Glacier is named from Mons Peak, shown in figures 5 and I. It flows over the high clift's (see fig. 8), and creeping down the MISCELLANEOUS 8 SMITHSONIAN COLLECTIONS VOL. 'J2. slope, spreads out in a fan-like form toward its lower end. Seen in profile, this portion of the glacier resembles a great animal sliding down the sides of the broad canyon. The foot of Mons Glacier with the stream flowing from beneath it is illustrated by figure ii. Fig. 8.—View of Mons Peak (10,114') and the upper snow fields of Mons Glacier, also the cascade of the glacier over the cHffs below. The summit of the peak is more than 2 miles {2i-^ km.) back of the glacier, the intervening space being occupied by -a great snow field from which the glacier flows. The locality is about the same as for figures 2 and 5. Photograph by Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. These views (figs. 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 ) illustrate a glacier from its neve at the base of Mons Peak (fig'. 8) to its foot (fig. n ). where the retreating ice is making its stand against the force of the summer sun and wind. Geological section.—The geological section, which is beautifully exposed in the mountain ridge of figure i, is of such interest that it is included in this brief account of the exploration in the vicinity of EXPLORATIONS, I919 NO. I SMITHSONIAN 10 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 72 O i! <u NO. I SMITIISONIAX KXI'I.OKATIOXS, I919 II Fig. II.—Foot of Mons Glacier from canyon down through which the glacier formerly extended to unite with the south end of Northeast Lyell Glacier. The locality is about the same as for figure 6. Photograph by Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. [2 SMITHSOXIAN MISCELLAXEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. /^ NO. I s^rrTT-lsoNTAN Exrr.oRATiONS, 1919 >3 FiG. 13.—Leaving Glacier Lake camp with the camp outfit and specimens on the pack horses, ready for the four days' trip to the railway. Photo- graph by Mrs. C. D. Walcott, igig. Fig. 14.—Mount Ball (10,825') on the Continental Divide from the southwest slope of the Sawback Range, looking across Bow Valley. Locality.—About t" miles (27.2 km.) west of Banff, Alberta, Canada. Photograph by Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, 1919. 14 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. "Jl Glacier Lake. The rocks exposed in the highest chft's of Alount I-'orbes and Mons 1-eak belong to the great Carboniferous system of rocks of this region. Below this series occur the Devonian rocks, the snow-capjjed cliffs shown in figure i above Mons Glacier, form- ing a belt i.ooo feet or more in thickness, and below these are the strata of the Sarlxich formation of the Ordovician system, and Fig. 15.—Mountain sheep in game sanctuary, Rocky Mountains Park, Alberta, Canada. Photograph liy Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Walcott, igiQ. beneath the Sarbacli the five formations assigned to the Copper Cam- brian series. Attention should be called here to Mount Murchison, figure 4, where there is almost the same series as that ex]:)Osed in the clilTs on the long motmtain slopes of figure i.