Brinton.] ^ 4: [Feb. 5 



StraTv, dry grass, pusim. Will, wish, men. 



Sun, muxac. my will, amen. 



Teeth, my, ale. I wish, amenan. 



Tongue, monzey. Woman (female), ila. 



Town, putam. ilajayu. 



"Water, cot. (married), zala. 



"White, Chech. "Word, Ml. 



"Wife, zala. Tuca, el. 



IV. 



THE LECA LANGUAGE. 



The Lecos of the river Beni have been erroneously included in 

 tlie Tacana stock by D'Orbignyand later writers (including myself). 

 The only material I have anywhere found of their language is a short 

 vocabulary given in Weddell's Voyage dans le Nord de la Bolivia 

 (Paris, 1859); but this is sufficient not only to take them entirely 

 out of the Tacana group, but probably to place them in an inde- 

 pendent position by themselves. As Weddell's book is not to be 

 found in many libraries, I shall translate and rearrange his list of 

 words and precede it with some remarks on the tribe and its possible 

 affinities. 



The Lecos are stated by Weddelj to have resided originally on 

 the Rio Tipuani and its affluent, the Rio Isuaya, whence they 

 removed to the banks of the Rio Mapiri. 



On Arrowsraith's map (1809) the '^Rio de Lecos " is located as 

 a branch of the Rio Beni, between 13'^ and 14° South latitude, in a 

 region assigned to the "Samachuanes," though I suspect these are 

 the " Muchanes" of other writers, and who, according to Weddell, 

 are Mozotenos. 



The mission of Aten, in the valley of the Rio Beni, is distinctly 

 stated by an official authority in the last century to have been peo- 

 pled by the Lecos,* so we must include in them the " Atenianos," 

 whom D'Orbigny classed with the Tacanas. 



A somewhat extended comparison has not furnished me with 

 positive grounds for including the Lecos in any known linguistic 

 group. Most of the analogies I have noted are with the Carib 

 stock, and some of them are striking, but scarcely decisive. 



• " En Aten se hablan la Leca j>or ser este Pueblo de Iudic« Lecos." Devsripcrion de las 

 Mmtmes dd Alio Peru, 1771. 



