202 proceedings: anthropological society 



for other fishes is less abundant in the Mississippi proper than in slough 

 and lakes. The river herring (Pomolobus chrysochloris) , known as the 

 host of a mussel of great value, feeds on insects when they are abun- 

 dant, and on fishes at other times. It breeds early in summer. Fears 

 are entertained that the fish and mussel may be excluded from the 

 upper river by a dam at Keokuk, Iowa. The Ohio shad (Alosa ohiensis) 

 seems clearly distinct from the Atlantic shad, but is sufficiently simi- 

 lar to be equally good food, though smaller. On the Mississippi this 

 valuable resource is not utilized. The habits of the fish are similar 

 to those of the Atlantic species, but it has not yet been proved to be 

 anadromous. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 508th meeting of the Society was held at the New National 

 Museum on March 6. This meeting was devoted to a general dis- 

 cussion, the subject being Problems connected with the distribution of 

 the aboriginal population of America. 



Dr. John R. Swanton introduced the discussion by stating that 

 the subject divided itself into a consideration of the distribution of 

 aboriginal population in America quantitatively and qualitatively. 

 "Populations," said Dr. Swanton, "may be classified qualitatively 

 according to their physical characteristics, languages, cultural fea- 

 tures, social organization, and so on. Archeology has a bearing on 

 all these." He gave as one of the principal problems to be considered 

 the bearing of the data of each class on the generally admitted Asiatic 

 origin of the American Indians and their diffusion from the northwest. 



Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, speaking from the standpoint of physical 

 anthropology, stated that the distribution of different physical types 

 on the American continent has always been in this country one of the 

 main problems of his branch of science. Morton, the father of Ameri- 

 can anthropology, classified the American Indians in two types: (1) 

 The Toltec, or refined type, which included the Toltecs of Mexico, the 

 Maya, and the mound-builders of the Ohio valley; (2) The Barbarian, 

 which included all the less civilized, semi-nomadic tribes. 



This classification, although imperfect, was shown in the course 

 of time to have a good foundation. Roughly speaking we recognize 

 today two great sub-types of the American aborigines which corre- 

 spond in the main to Morton's groups. The "Toltec" strain shows an 

 irregular but wide distribution over both Americas. Its main areas 

 are portions of the northwest coast, a part of the Pueblo region, a large 

 part of the more southern territory of the "mound-builders," all Yuca- 

 tan, southern Mexico, Central America, the Antilles, the western re- 

 gion of northern South America, and the coast of Peru, with as yet unde- 

 termined areas in Brazil, and traces even farther south. The type 

 is principally marked by brachycephaly. The second Morton group 

 corresponds to the American dolichocephalic population which ex- 



