Brinton.] 



98 



[Feb. 5, 



On looking over this list it is obvious that the Guatuso affinities 

 are too slight to justify the assumption of a relationship. The 

 syllable cur in the words for woman, and s/iu for mother, are the 

 only elements that offer a real similarity, and this is too scanty a 

 supply to work on. 



In the Costa Rican analogies the sense is often too remote. It 

 is scarcely fair to consider "father" and "man" as identical 

 ideas ; or " child " and " little ;" " head " and " point ;" " meat " 

 and " deer ;" " salt " and "pepper;" " maize " and " cornfield," 

 etc. Selecting words so asunder in meaning and choosing, from 

 several dialects on both sides, apparent analogies can always be 

 found. Other words present, in fact, no resemblance, as st/d^ to 

 ficep, divua to shimpue, i-nhu-tvah to iitiaip, etc. There remain a 

 few actual similarities which may be linguistic identities ; but these 

 should probably be explained by the fact that the Timote tribes 

 lived near those of Chibcha lineage, and doubtless borrowed from 

 them a number of terms. Such loan words are found in the 

 tongues of all nations who reside in close proximity for a few 

 generations. 



I conclude, therefore, that the Timote must still be regarded as 

 an independent stock, and its connection with any in North 

 America has not yet been demonstrated. 



On crossing the mountain chain which separates Costa Rica 



