and not stamped by dies. Special attention was directed to designs representing the svastika or fylfot cross, which acquire peculiar interest in view of recent assertions that the svastika is confined to the Eastern hemisphere. In discussing the paper, Dr. Brinton described another form of the svastika, and Mr. G. A. Dorsey described a form found by him while investigating the prehistoric cemeteries of Peru. Vice-President Dorsey also called the attention of the section to another variant, which appears on the war-chart of the Kansa tribe, the survivors of which are now in Indian Territory. A copy of this chart was given to the speaker in 1882 by a hereditary chief of a war gens of the Kansa tribe, who said that it had been in the possession of his ancestors for a long period, and explained that the svastika thereon was a wind symbol.

The principal paper by Mr. G. A. Dorsey was a description of the ancient necropolis of Ancon, Peru, which is in part reproduced in the anthropologic building of the World's Fair. The area assigned to the necropolis is laid out into irregular patches, generally one to three yards across, by means of little embankments of gravel. Each patch may be regarded as a cemetery lot, and is occupied generally by the remains of one, though sometimes of two or more individuals. The bodies are desiccated and form more or less perfectly preserved remains, usually in a squatting posture, with knees drawn to the chin. Each is wrapped in cotton and afterward in many layers of cloth or matting, the whole securely tied by strong ropes.

In his paper on the calendar system of Central America and Mexico, Dr. Brinton remarked that at the time of the Spanish conquest all the semi-civilized peoples of this continent made use of the same calendar, despite the great diversity of their languages. This system is absolutely unique, nothing like it being found elsewhere in the new world or anywhere in the old world. Its basis is a month of twenty days, of which thirteen make a nominal year, and eighteen, plus five days, the solar year. Earnest efforts have been made by writers to detect in these periods the results of astronomic observations, either lunar or solar, or on Venus or other planets, or on constellations, but up to the present time without positive results. The twenty-day period is generally conceded to have been based on the vigesimal system of counting, which was common to all these tribes. Each day has a name and a number, and the author has found by a study of these names that they have

the same meaning in all those languages in which they are preserved. This coincidence proves a common origin, but the place of origin has not yet been established. The author's research leads to the opinion that the system originated with one of the Maya tribes in or near Chiapas. Moreover, he finds reason to suppose that the calendar was at first purely divinitory and astrologic, subsequently becoming a time-count, with a rather awkward adaptation to the solar year of lunar months, such as is found in the northern hunting tribes. The day names are symbolic and appear to be arranged in a sequence corresponding to the ordinary history of human life from birth and youth up to old age and death.

In connection with the work of the section on archeology an excursion was made to examine the Indian mounds about the northern shore of Lake Mendota. The mounds examined include the ordinary conical or dome-shaped tumuli and effigy mounds, together with embankments, all characteristic of the Wisconsin district.

The contributions to psychology and somatology were limited in number, though of great interest. Dr. Jastrow described at length the psychometric methods of the anthropologic laboratory in Chicago, setting forth the objects and purposes of the work. Professor Brewer described his observations on the lively interest manifested by children, and to a less extent by adults, in stories of bears and wolves. He expressed the opinion that, while a part of this interest may be ascribed to the brevity and force of the monosyllabic names, the chief and real reason for the predominance of the idea is to be found in the instinctive fear of these animals inherited from ancestors in parts of Europe in which they abounded at the beginning of civilization. Mr, Bailey's paper on the delicacy of the sense of taste among Indians also attracted much attention. The author presented the results of a large number of tests made on Indian boys and girls, showing by percentages the delicacy of taste for acid, bitter, and sweet substances. This was supplemented by similar tables showing the results of like tests made on an equal number of white boys and girls. While the results of the tests show some aberration, they indicate on the whole a materially higher sensibility among the white youth.

One of the most interesting papers laid before the section was that by Dr. Washington Matthews on the songs of sequence of the

Navajos. The author recited a Navajo legend, interspersed with questions asked by the children of the principal characters concerning the origin and peculiarities of vegetation, etc., together with the parent's replies in the form of mystic songs, the latter given by the phonograph from cylinders bearing records of the songs sung by the Indians themselves in their own tents. In addition to the interest of the subject, the communication was important as illustrating the uses and advantages of phonographic instruments in ethnologic work.

Vice-President Dorsey's paper on Indian names for the four winds and four quarters summarized personal observations among the Omaha, Ponka, Osage, Kansa, Kwapa, and Biloxi tribes of the Siouan stock, and the Tutu tunne of Oregon representing the Athapascan stock, in comparison with the Dakota equivalents recorded by Riggs. In some of these languages the names for the cardinal points differ from those of the corresponding winds. In the Tutu tunne dialect there are distinct names for the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest winds, as well as for the corresponding quarters, these names being compounds of the names of the four cardinals.

The paper by Mr. Hewitt was an important contribution to knowledge of linguistics. It is given in full elsewhere in this number of the AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, together with remarks by Mr. Dorsey designed to show that sundry assertions made by Duponceau and his followers are not applicable to the Siouan tongues and certain other languages.

The officers of the Section of Anthropology elected for the ensuing year are. Vice-President, Dr. Franz Boas; Secretary, Professor A. F. Chamberlain. For the place of meeting in 1894, Brooklyn was provisionally chosen, with the condition that some other eastern city may be selected in its stead by the Council. Preliminary action was also taken with the view of holding the 1895 meeting in San Francisco or elsewhere on the Pacific coast.

Anthropologists throughout the world will doubtless be gratified at the selection of one of their number as the next President of the Association. The honor of election to this office was conferred on Dr. Daniel G. Brinton, of Philadelphia.

A QUARTERLY BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANTHROPOLOGIC LITERATURE.

COMPILED BY ROBERT FLETCHER, M. D.