344 Mr. Ranking on the Oi-igin 



mortal deity. — (M. de la Salle, p.268.) Note, The Calmucs 

 give to the new-born the name of the first person or animal 

 they meetpt i i^T^png the higher orders the name is chosen by 

 their priests. The mothers follow their ordinary occupations 

 two days after child-birth. — (Pallas, vol. i. p. 570,571). 



*' In person, manners, customs, habits, opinions, traditions, 

 religious notions, systems of education, the Indians are essen- 

 tially the same people : the forms of their language are almost 

 identical." — Remarks on the Ind^ of N. Amer^ p. 37. A nuHOr 

 ber of them put rings into a hole perforated in the gristle of the 

 nose, and lengthen their ears two or three inches by cutting 

 them and hanging pieces of lead when they are very young^-^r 

 (Michaux's Travels, p. 269.) Note. The ears of the Calmucs 

 are enormous. — (^Pallas, iv. 497.) The Garrows, near Assam, 

 lengthen their ears by a great weight of brass rings. The Cal- 

 muc Idol, Aiouschi, has her ears stretched in the manner of a 

 loop, as described, Chappe D^ Auteroche^ vol. i. Plate XXII. 



The Peguans pull out the hairs of their faces with little pin- 

 sons made for that purpose. — Hakluyt, ii. 262. 



The Calmucs retam two small mustachios, and pluck out 

 their beards, and the hair from their bodies. They shave the 

 rest of the head, leaving a small tuft at top. — {Pallas, iv. 498, 

 501.) The ring in the nose is very common in several places 

 in Asia. •!* afl*rr . <t 



Many Indians of America have a singular contrivaht^ to i!fS 

 dicate the death of a person without an explicit declaration of 

 the fact. — (Remarks on the N. Arner. Ind. p. 32.) Note. 

 When a Saraoyede is dead, his name must never again be pro- 

 nounced, except by circumlocution. — (Pallas^ iv. 101.) 



The Tartars eat dogs, rats, leopards, mice, and all other 

 beasts, except swine. — {Sir J. Maundeville.) The Mugs, or 

 Tartars of Aracan, eat every kind of reptile *. Some American 

 Indians also eat such food. ,^,!j 



There can remain little or rather no doubt but that theorigf- 

 nal population of America is derived, almost, if not entirely, from 

 Asia, and that the mass of the people are Turks, Mongols, Cal- 



* These Mugs flatten the foreheads of their infants with a plate of lead. JRees's 

 Cifc, ''Arracan." They are Tartar-Moguls, and were subjects of Kublai. 



