Department of Zoology & Comparative Anatomy. Presentation Book Vol. 1 1883-1948 ... 1888-1889
OUMNH Presentation volume
See here for a full list of all the early ethnographic and archaeological objects donated to the Pitt Rivers Collection after 1885 - 1895.
NB The following objects are all entered as being donated direct to PRM rather than transferred from OUMNH in current museum documentation as the PRM has separate accession registers for them. However, it is clear that record was also keep in the presentation (acquisition or donation) book for the Department of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at the University Museum for 1888 and 1889.These items were not recorded in the separate Pitt Rivers Museum annual report for those years for an unknown reason. It seems clear that the Pitt Rivers Collection only very slowly became a separate institution from the Department of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy (as it would later be called). It was not until 1896 that the separate Pitt Rivers Museum's annual reports, which were published from 1888, included information about the ethnographic and archaeological objects acquired by the Pitt Rivers Collection / Museum in that year.
The transcriptions below are the full transcriptions for each year but you will see that very few zoological specimens are recorded for some reason. Either there were very few being acquired, or they are recorded elsewhere (the former seems more likely as before and after 1888-89 such zoological specimens are recorded. Indeed between 1889 and 1895 there is only one set of possibly archaeological or ethnographic item recorded in the book. The current location of this set of objects is unknown so it is not clear if they too were later deemed part of the Pitt Rivers Museum.
In the following list items written within in square brackets are items that remained part of the Comparative Anatomy collections. Their present location is unknown. Numbers in square brackets are PRM accession numbers and these items are now all part of the PRM collections.
1888
Jany 13 A Shophar or Rams Horn trumpet Rev N Lipman 53 Great Prescot St B [1888.1.1.]
[ditto] Specimens of Go-hei of folded paper, set up as offerings to the Gods in Shinto Temples Japan Basil Hall Chamberlain Tokyo Japan [1888.2.1-2]
[ditto] Cavalry sword & lance Major Henry Adair The Barracks, Cowley [1888.3.1-2]
1889.9.14 Burmese fish trap donated by R.C. TempleMarch 10 Specimens from Corea small iron box elaborately inlaid with silver – A brass dumb bell shaped cup three specimens of ginseng WR Carles Esq British Consulate, Shanghai [188.4.1-5]
March 11. Specimens from Samoa Four specimens of different bamboos used by the natives, a piece of [illegible] board A woman’s girdle from the Kings Mill Group J.E. Newell Esq Malua Institution, Samoa [1888.5.1-6]
15 Number of tally sticks as used in the Isle of Man Rev Ernest Savage St Thomas Vicarage Douglas I of Man [1888.6.1-13]
[Emu]
April 21 Specimens from the Solomon Islands & New Hebrides Panpipes 2 from Torres Islands, one from Florida / Musical pipe from Pentecost / Stringed instrument, Florida / Trimmer [?] for flying fish Santa Cruz / 2 Bamboo knives Torres Islands / Boys mask Florida / Spider’s web tangle for fishing Malaita / Complete Tomati [?] dress Rev Dr Codrington The Vicarage Wadhurst Surrey
Melanesia Jews Harp, fish hook & shell money / Melanesian bracelets of beads / Tapa from Samoa Id / 2 prs of Hindoo shoes / 2 Green jade cups / Soapstone figure, Chinese, Bronze bell &c / Officers gorget & 2 swords / Flint knife S Africa / Gourd bottle / Kaffir pipe snuff box & spoon / Pali M.S Chinese book & book of Chinese seals/ Kaffir Laws & customs &c &c Rev John Rigaud BD Long Wall Street [1888.10.1-31]
Iron tool used for making gunflints, used by natives of Abu Roash Dr G. Schweinfurth Cairo Egypt [1888.9.1]
3 Atuas from Polynesia Elliot Howard Esq Walthamstow [1888.41.1-3]
May 1 Pair of over boots M. A.E. Payne Alfred Street St Giles [1888.12.1 .1–2]
[May] 3 Model of outrigger boat & catamaran Hon Sir Arthur Gordon GCMG Governor of Ceylon, through Sir William Herschell [1888.11.1-2]
8 Two African Charms Piece of South Sea Tapa Papers of General Rigaud Rev John Rigaud BD [1888.13.1-5]
[17 Two specimens of fish]
Davy safety lamp H Balfour Esq MA [1888.17.1]
17 Bundle of arrows from New Guinea, one with point of cassowary bone Two spears from Talauer Ids Sydney J Hickson [1888.15.1-3]
Knackers pole axe Mr S Hathaway Junr Gas Street St Ebbes Oxford [1888.16.1]
Cavalry lance bucket Elliot Howard Esq Walthamstow Essex [1888.18.1]
Pair of skin shoes from Arran Miss Swann Walton Manor c/o Professor Westwood [1888.19.1-2]
[Another zool. Specimen]
June A Whalebone ribbed umbrella Miss Truscott 37 St Giles [1888.20.1]
Chinese Taoist paper mock money for sacrifice Miss Bouser 49 Lexham Gardens Russell Rd [1888.21.1]
[Edible birds nest & eggs … Sydney J Hickson D Sc]
[Egg of ostrich H Balfour Esq MA]
16 Number of stone arrow heads & flakes, from Colorado USA three immature [illegible] etc [all rest specimens] Arthur WW Brown Esq MA 6 …ex Square Hyde Park W [1888.22.1-?]
[hides of animals]
Sept 28 Two bamboo lances with lags & slings The India Office Whitehall SW [1888.27.1-2]
Aug 20 Five [illegible] sticks used by Manx fishermen to count their catches Rev Ernest BJ Savage St Thomas Vicarage I of Man [1888.24.1-5]
Small wooden bismer from Norway / Part of leather harness, ornamented with cowries known as snakes heads from South Norway Dr EB Tylor [1888.25.1-2]
Flints & lumps of greensand, which have been made red hot probably for cooking purposes from Rotherley Camp Lieut General Pitt Rivers FRS &c Rushmore Salisbury [1888.26.1-?]
Sept Collection of objects belonging to the late Rev J Rigaud BD Indian sabre Chinese sword Soudanese sword Indian shield Indian & Chinese arrows S African assaigais (Capt Gibbs Rigaud) Old Silk Umbrella Chinese fishing rod Chinese drawings English sabre belt &c Chinese bible & coins Shoes Ornaments of silver &c Nail protector Metal paper knife Empress badges Old collapsible lantern in case Old shoe buckles English Pomice box Night cap & wig belonging to the Dr Ro… Iron candle stick from Stanton Harcourt made in 1635 Emperor of China dressing gown Ostrich egg with incised Kaffir drawings Indian fly flaps Coronation & other ribbons Miss Rigaud 160 Walton Street [1888.28.1-45]
Sept Bronze pin found found [sic] close to adult & skeleton in a gravel pit at Bampton Oxon with evidence of considerable age Mr Jasper Taylor Surveyor Minster Lovell Witney [1888.32.1]
Oct Seven photographs of natives of Australia, T. del Fuego & S Africa Capt J.P. Maclear RN Cranleigh nr Guildford [1888.29.1]
Set of brass vessels used in a form of worship Hindoo Miss Edith Pechey MA Cumballa Hill, Bombay [1888.30.1]
[Zool specimen]
Pair of Pampooties worn by an Aran fisherman in 1868 Miss Swann Woodstock Road [1888.33.1-2]
[Greek text] from the village of Peristerona district of Papho Cyprus WG Hogarth ESq Magdalen College [1888.34.1]
Numerous specimens of North American basket work &c The Director Royal Gardens Kew [1888.35.1-?
Burmese, Norwegian & Lapp knives Bone awl & net floats of birch bark Henry Balfour MA [1888.36.1-5]
Two flagella, candle & medida from the Azores Lieut General Pitt Rivers FRS &c [1888.31.1-4]
Indian Bichhwa Henry Balfour MA [1888.36.10]
Specimens from Burmah & India / Series of five figures of Gautama shewing the process of casting the brass images / Three stone lamps from Gaza Bengal / Burmese earthenware lamps with [illegible] / Burmese earthenware lamps with 4 lips / Burmese earthenware lamps with 1 lip / Brass Lamp from Gaza Bengal / 13 dice Burmese / Card dominos & wooden &c 2 sets Burmese / Pair of piston bellows (small) similar to those used in melting metal for casting the brass figures / Clay crucible used with bellow for warming water Capt RC Temple RE The Palace Mandalay Burmah [1888.39.1-]
Primitive wood & stone anchor said to be from Lagos W Africa Professor Sir Henry W. Acland KCB [1888.38.1]
Specimens from Corea collected by T Watters Esq / Several samples of paper made from Brousoustia Fine cloth of Pueraria fibre Two hand screens of split bamboo Large blind of finely split bamboo & a small fan The Director Royal Gardens Kew [1888.41.1-6]
Harding Fiddle … Trumpet Bushmen Wooden Bismer & a piece of harness with cowries From Norway Dr EB Tylor [1888.42.1-]
A Glass & coin Greek Arthur Evans FRS Ashmolean Museum [1888.40.1-2]
A forgery of drift stone implement from Amiens Dr EB Tylor [1888.42.6]
[skin of humpback whale and skull of animal from Balfour & specimens from Buchanan]
… Printed in the Oxford University Gazette May 2 1889 & Reports of Institutions for 1888
1889
Jany 16 Burmese Rosaries & complete set of tools &c illustrating the methods of making rosaries Capt RC Temple RE The Palace, Mandalay [1889.2.1-2]
17 Bundle of tally sticks used for accounts between the town commissioners & water works company in Douglas Rev Ernest B Savage St Thomas Vicarage Douglas I of Man [1889.1.1]
Whirling implement of the Bull-roarer type known known [sic] as the voice of Aro from Abeokuta W Africa Mrs Braithwaite Batty Crick Road Oxford [1889.3.1]
March 13 A Japanese toy & blow pipe H Balfour Esq [1889.5.1]
Old English tobacco pipe [1889.6.1]
[April 16 Three heads …. From Borneo [Creagh thro Moseley]]
Artificially deformed flathead skull Dr Franz Boas [1889.8.1]
Series of 66 models of Burmese fishing implements traps nets &c Also copy of the report on the Fisheries in the F… district for 1886 Capt RC Temple RE [1889.9.1-66]
Two small childrens toys representing animas from Abydos A head ornament of leather, probably Coptic Obtained in Egypt Sir John Conroy Bart: [1889.11.1-3]
Swedish wooden tinder box with flint & steel Primitive wooden lock Swedish Dr N Olof Holst Geologiska Museet Stockholm [1889.12.1-2]
Wooden double flageolet Arthur Evans Esq [1889.10.1]
Four specimens of native made clothing materials of cotton raphia & bark / Three iron hair pins of the Ngwah district / Polished section of Hippopotamus tusk the tribal ornament of Ujiji / Small coil of raphia palm fibre as sold for stringing bead at the market at Ujiji Basket from Urundi Shells from Lake Tanganyika All the specimens from the region round Lake Tanganyika Central Africa Also copy of To Lake Tanganyika in a Chair by Mrs Hore Capt E Coode Shere 26 … Road Highbury Hill [1889.13.1-12]
July Dr EB Tylor Specimens from British Guiana, received by him from E. im Thurn Esq / Horn made from a Jaguars skull plastered over with wax ? (Warrau tribe) / Two baskets each made of a single leaf of Areta palm (Macusi tribe Macquaries Whip (Arawak tribe) Necklace made of fragments of Jaguar bones (Warrau tribe)
1889 [1889.14.1-5]
Objects found in two or three old kitchen middens near Port Blair Andaman Ids EH Man Esq Nancowry Nicobar Ids [1889.15.]
Aug Piece of bark cloth made by natives of Great Nicobar / Tooth of old Nicobarese woman incrusted nearly with lime from betel chewing F.E. Tuson Esq St James Rectory Halesworth [1889.16.1-]
Sept Mandrake root Asia minor / [blank] made of sweepings of the kabba at Mecca Hung up in morgues & houses Rev Greville J Chester [1889.17.1-2]
Two Chinese wooden fish (a kind of gong) / Chinese kidney shaped piece of rattan root used in the temple for fortune telling HN Giles Esq HBM Consul Formosa [18889.18.1-3]
Four Mexican terra cotta marks (Ancient) Lieut Col W Dawkins [1889.19.1-4]
Piece of textiles with embroidered edges from Hawara in the Fayum of the IVth and Vth cent AD W Flinders Petrie Esq [1889.20.1]
Two wapiti canine teeth used as money by the Shoshone & … tribes of Idaho & Montana N America / Large flat polished stone bead with cross markings said to be used as currency in West Africa Slave money / Three wooden spoons Russian Lapp & … River Lappland / Three figures of polished stone from Carnac Brittany H Balfour Esq
1889 [1889.22.1-9]
Oct Eight specimens of bamboo of different species JR Jackson Esq [1889.21.1-8, NB there are other objects from Jackson listed in accession books]
[2 zool specimens]
Lapp boots (Komager) from Tromso Net floats & sinkers Russian Lapp (Skolte) E Finnmarken Old fashioned Norwegian fish hooks H Balfour Esq [1889.22.10-20]
Specimen of Tombaki Persian native tobacco Dr Brunnow [1889.23.1]
A Phenician (Carthinigian) memorial tablet of stone FF Tuckett Esq [1889.24.1]
Specimens from excavations at Gurub Illanum Egypt 1889 Oct 1889 Flinders Petrie. Specimens from his excavations at Gurob, Illahun, Egypt 1889 XII Dynasty: Wooden objects: 1 spindle, 1 bowl, 1 bodkin, 1 Tipcat, 1 whiptop, 1 double hook, 1 grooved door-bolt, 1 doorbolt plain, 1 box with cover, 1 cone shaped whorl, 1 rope net for carrying jar, 1 rope ring for carrying jar on head, 1 short stick Stone objects: 1 pillow for offerings, 2 altars for offerings, 5 small flints, 3 large flints, 1 large mud loom-weight, one small stone loom-weight Pottery objects: 2 jars, 2 stands, 2 bowls, vessel with spout, offering table, 1 small jar, 1 small bowl, 2 pieces of broken vase XII Dynasty Metal and various materials: 1 bronze knife, 2 bronze needles, 1 fish hook, 1 leather shoe-sandal, 1 wicker sandal, 1 fulling [sic] ball, 1 fishing net, 2 small balls of string, 1 ball of thread, hank of fibre XVIII and XIX Dynasties: Wooden objects 1 bow drill, 1 Grain scoop, 1 leather dresser, 1 small throw stick (?), 1 comb, 1 large bodkin (?) Objects of stone, lead or bone etc 2 stone net sinkers, 2 lead net sinkers, 1 stone netting reel, 1 netting bone, 1 stone cone, 1 whetstone, 1 pottery coffin lid XXII Dynasty or Ptolemaic or later: 1 large throwstick, 1 large carpenter's basket with rope attached (Ptolemaic) 1 rope of dark colour (Ptolemaic), 2 ropes with cross bars (Ptolemaic), 1 small carpenter's basket, 2 brushes, 1 foot piece of Cartonnage coffin, 2 pieces of embroidery, 11 wooden heads (the rudest Ptolemaic the rest earlier), 1 large oval basket (cover missing), 1 round flat dish (Roman), 1 jar with three feet and cover (Roman) 1 wooden hook with rope, 1 Roman lock with iron lock plate, 1 leather shoe and sole (Roman) 1 pair of Roman felt socks, 1 basket cover, 2 pieces of basket. W Flinders Petrie W. Flinders Petrie Esq [1889.27.1-108]
Specimens obtained in Calcutta by LP Delves Broughton Esq / Two earthenware pots with charms painted on them / 1 larger bag with woven inscription all over it / Cloth painted with prayers used by people at Darjiling / 4 small charms in small tin cylinders 3 Razors / 3 Ribbons with names of Gods woven on them worn on the right shoulder for luck / Piece of jade a charm to keep up spirits in adversity / Child’s necklet of seeds to keep off evil eyes / seed to keep off evil eye / Three books on Bengalese music / Two tin … throat trumpets Lady Markby [1889.26.1-23]
Burmese charms on linen cloth 1 from head of a petty Dacoit leader 1 from head of a gambler 2 new ones used by Dacoits (from Wachek village near Sagaing) Capt RC Temple RE [1889.29.1-4]
Sticks used as fire drill by natives of Magila district East Africa HG Madan Esq MA [1889.28.1]
Nov From Burma - 4 long and one short blowpipes, with 6 feathered darts - Cross bow and 5 arrows - Pellet bow and clay pellets - Fighting "da" - 10 knives and choppers for various uses - Chin axe for tree felling - Burmese adze or mattock, and a forester's axe - 3 pronged head of fish spear, iron - 3 Regimental helmets of the late King's army - 2 reed brooms - 1 large full rigged model of Burmese boat - 3 small carved models of boats - 2 models of bullock carriages, one wood one brass - cotton cleaning machine - wooden lathe, with seat and tool rests - one very large and 4 smaller carved wood figures of mythological lion - carved wood, nude and gilt figure of a boy, and a large and a larger carved gilt bee or fly, supporters of Thibaw's throne - Two small carved wood figures of women, shewing costume - Brass model of the great standing image on Mandalay hill - Large carved wood figure of Buddhist Angel of Life, seated, - Fruit and drug baskets, 3 of each - 3 rattan footballs - Brass scales, and 2 pairs of bullion scales, one in brass case - 4 Shan lice combs, Chinese lice comb, 7 Burmese combs - Two pairs of hair pincers, metal - Two pairs of sandals, adult and child - Two pairs of small cylindrical earrings - Iron ear and nail cleaners - Siamese scissors, inlaid silver - Burmese metal spoons - Silk scraper made of part of a husk of a nut - Iron cocoanut scraper, and sack needle - 4 illumination lamps of terracotta, and bundle of wicks - Mulberry leaves for wrapping, two samples of cheroot tobacco - maize heads for wrapping cheroots, cheroot mouthpiece and complete cheroot - Piece of edible clay - Flat stone grinder, for grinding mulberry bark powder with two pieces of mulberry bark - Burmese flageolet - Burmese cradle, carved wood, inlaid - Kachin national bag, and woman's robe - Priest's begging bowl of pottery with brass cover - Ordinary Burmese teapot - Two wooden platters and rice bowl covered with red lacquer - Cocoa nut shell ladle and 4 wood cups of form derived from it - String charm with pieces of thin brass with inscription, used by stall keepers - Soapstone pencil and blue cloth rubber of soothsayers - Buddha's foot and 2 Vishnu thrones in stamped copper - page of Burmese charms - Piece of sheet iron and folding cardboard with charms in form of hands, belonging to a soothsayer - 10 bullock bells of various sizes - 5 stages in the casting of brass bells, with also the wax model and mould for the handles, Burmese - Series of 16 weights in different stages of manufacture, with numerous wax models, and two clay moulds with each 5 compartments, also an elongate mould - Two iron styles for writing on palm leaf - 3 pieces of soapstone for pencils and 3 iron holders - Pen for writing square Pali in black - 2 styles with copper cylinder above ?use - 4 reservoir pens for square Pali writing - shell for black resin - Ruler for lines in square Pali ms - Blackened wooden child's "slate" - Palm leaf strip upon which Royal orders were formerly written - 6 ordinary Burmese books, and catalogues of the library of the late king at Mandalay - Ordinary Shan Religious text, in cloth cover - Palm leaf sacred Burmese book - 6 fragments of MSS on palm leaf - Complete Burmese book - Two pali texts in one cover, richly gilt, on palm leaf - Ivory book, with rich binding boards and ribbon binding - Book of square Pali text on lacquered cloth - Leaf of lacquered cloth (?) ready for writing - Copper book, square Pali, gilt - Silver leaf lacquered cloth book, square pali - Safe conduct and Trade notices issued by the officials of Thibaw (6) - White book, with modern Burmese illustrations - Bookbinding series, including MS in first stage, two frames with MS in different stages, knife for trimming edges, ribbon for binding valuable religious books; gold leaf, stamp for staring book covers, red colour used in MS binding - Andamanese bow, 2 spears , 3 arrows - New Zealand jade pendant (miri) - Bayonet hafted on a stick Afghan - Afghan sword, two matchlocks - Indian blunderbuss Capt RC Temple RE [1889.29.]
1889
Nov Two childrens whistles made of snail shells Brittany H Balfour Esq [1889.30.1-2]
Complete Lapp costume of Reindeer skin Arthur Evans Esq [1889.31.1-5]
A number of worked flints from near Gebel Shekr Egypt New piece of coarse pottery / Single worked flint from top of a hill opposite Girgeh Sir John Conroy Bart [1889.32.1-3]
Cast of a stone implement from Tasmania Original in the Taunton Museum Dr EB Tylor [1889.33.1]
Steatite drinking vessel & iron padlock from Sweden Russian iron padlock Dr EB Tylor [1889.33.2-4]
[Zool specimen]
Various anthropological specimens By part purchase from Torres Straits Professor AC Haddon Royal College of science, Dublin Two Boar tusk armlets - One [ditto] plane - Sacred ornament of shell - pendant ("dibidibi") of shell - shell crescent pendant - Two nose ornaments of shell - shell necklet - shell dancing bracelet - dogs tooth frontlet and necklet - shell armlet - groin guard of shell - tortoiseshell marriage ornament - plaited finger rings - plaited leglets - Four large plaited armlets ("Musor") - bilobed ear plug - Three plaited bangles - belt of coix lacyrma seeds - pair of shoulder bands - One back and two front ornaments worn by brides - Two tortoiseshell hair pins - Two small pendants of form derived from ant-lion larva - breast ornament representing sting ray - Two nautilus shell ear rings - brides ornament tied together - toy "alida" - Two cassowary feather headdresses ("Dagam") - One bird of paradise feather headdress - Two dance headdresses of cassowary feathers - hair wig - bamboo comb - Five women's petticoats of grasses etc - Five baskets - pair of water cocoa nuts - Large alligator-dancing mask of tortoiseshell - Bamboo knife, headsling, and bow used in the dances - Fish tail shaped piece of wood ("Good") held in the mouth in ceremonies - wooden drum, "bull-roarer" , Jew's harp, and two other musical instruments - Stone top - Bamboo pipe - Tortoiseshell fish hook, fishing basket, and large handnet - Dugong spear with moveable harpoon point - Two wooden clubs - Two large and two small lances - Two throwing sticks - Bamboo bow and wrist guard – Thirty seven arrows of different patterns - "Kadig tang" of cassowary feathers and a second somewhat similar ornament only double - Two ornaments worn stuck through the wristguard - Fish line with two hooks, Two examples of cord - Root and bark of "Ome" tree - Two dugong charms - Tobacco and rain charms - large stone charm - love charm pebble - carve stern post of canoe - sorcery tally - cyrena shell - palm leaf wrapper for feathers - human skull with features restored - ?Dancing jaw - Bone from head of a fish, used as an ornament [1889.34.1-142]
Fire making apparatus from Borneo / Five syringes & appurtenances / Fire drill / Bamboo fire saw / Fibre torch ? Sydney BL Skertchley Esq Sandakan Borneo [1889.35.1-8]
Reports of Institutions for 1889 Printed in the University Gazette May 13 1890
1890 – 1895 all zoological specimens except 1895 below:
Human skull, lower jaw & bones with fragments of pottery from caves in the St John’s Mountains Jamaica pres by Lady Blake [Note beside 'acc in 2005 OUM 22059'][Sherds not entered in PRM collections management database]
Transcribed by AP November 2012. We are grateful to Malgosia Nowak-Kemp for allowing us access to the presentation volume and for her advice and help in compiling this list.
