322 SRINTON — VOCABULARIES FROM SOUTH AMERTCA. [Oct. 21. 



'^Gay" or ''Gae," applied to their tongue, is a Quichua word, 

 and appears to be an abbreviation of simi-kayay, "mouth callers," 

 another tribal name given them by the Quichuas, apparently from 

 some peculiarity of their intonation. 



An ancient authority of 1661 informs us that a group of tribes, 

 including the Gayes, Avixiras, Coronados, Guasagas and Ailpayos, 

 " othervirise called Andoas and Toqueoreos," dwelt on the adjacent 

 branches of the rivers Bobonaza, Tigre and Pastaza, all speaking 

 the same language/ About a century later, another report speaks 

 of the Andoas, Gaes and Semigaes as using the same tongue and 

 dwelling together, '^one hour's journey from the west bank of the 

 river Pastaza."^ These facts indicate how little was their change of 

 location in two and a half centuries. 



The second vocabulary is given in the Geographical Journal, J"l.y> 

 1898, in an interesting article written by Col. George Earl Church, 

 on information supplied him by Dr. Jose Bach, of La Plata. The 

 latter describes a remarkable method of subterranean telegraphy in 

 use among the tribe whom he calls the " Catuquinaru," who occupy 

 the lands between the rivers Embyra and Embyrasu, branches of 

 the Tarauaca, which itself flows into the Jurua. They fill a cavity 

 in the earth with broken bones, ashes and other solid substances, 

 and by striking this with a club can convey the sound for about a 

 mile to the next village. 



Dr. Bach gives a short vocabulary of their tongue, and says that 

 it '' is very similar to the Miranhas of Amazonas and has a few 

 words of the Therena of western Matto Grosso." He adds that 

 they have usually been called the " Catuquinas. " This is a Tupi 

 word which Martins translates " good doors," and explains as 

 meaning, either that the tribe lived in well-built houses, or else that 

 they were hospitably inclined. He regards it as a compound of 

 catu, good, and nay, door.* But it seems to me more likely to be a 

 compound of caiu, good, and gutnay, female ^^ompanion ; and to 

 refer'to the sociability of the softer sex. 



They certainly do not belong to the Tupi stock, as D'Orbigny 

 thought,* nor are they related to the Tecuna stock, as Von MartiUs 

 inclined to believe f but those at least whom Dr. Bach visited are 



^'See Boletin de la Soc. Geog, de Madrid, T. xxix, pp. 246, 261, 262. 



* F. X. Veigl, A^achrichten uhcr Maynas, p. 47 (Nurnberg, 1798,,) 

 ^ Beitrage zur Ethnograpkie Siid Anierikas,V>A i, p. 424. 



* L* HoiJitne Aviericaitt ^ Tome ii, p. 355. 

 ^Martius, ii. s., p. 446. 



