THE MUSEUM. 



135 



month to accomplish. A good belt 

 can easil)' be bought for about $12. 



Curves are never found in the figure 

 patterns on the belts or blankets, but 

 the employment of horizontal stripes, 

 the diagonals and the lozenge are in- 

 terwoven with a variety that appears 

 to be almost endless in the matter of 

 design. The leading colors used are 

 red, brilliant orange yellow, a blue 

 and by combination a green, and final- 

 ly, black, white and gray. 



The manufacture of these dyes is an 

 exceedingly interesting process, but its 

 description does not properly fall with- 

 in the scope of the present article. 



As civilization advances westward 

 and makes intrusion into the haunts of 

 these simple people, these aboriginal 

 industries of theirs must eventually die 

 out rather than be stimulated and en- 

 hanced by the contact. For with it 

 civilization brings bright and cheap 

 dyes of many shades, excellent Ger- 

 mantown wools that are not expensive 

 but more fatal than any of these, very 

 good and durable blankets, of bright 

 tints, that may be purchased by these 

 Indians for a few dollars at the store 

 of the trader, and thus obviate the 

 tedious necessity of any further manu- 

 fscture of their own in the future. 



Queer Superstititions- 



The world is full of thoughtful stud- 

 ents. The old time dogmas are one 

 by one being exploded and, thanks to 

 careful study and patient research of 

 these self-appointed observers, we are 

 constantly learning new things. 



An exchange's reference to the an- 

 tiquated belief of an old ignoramus 

 who still fondly clings to the idea that 

 "swallows and swifts hibernate in the 

 mud, at the bottoms of rivers during 

 the winter season, and that the juncos 

 turn into sparrows in the summer and 

 back to juncos when winter approach- 

 es," recalls to mind a number of other 

 absurd theories that educated people 

 no longer countenance. The first is 

 the joint-snake, or, as it is more com- 



monly called, glass-snake, which after 

 throwing away its tail, is credited with 

 "hitching on" to it again. It is noth- 

 ing unusual for otherwise well read 

 and intelligent people to assert with 

 all the force of conviction that these 

 snakes will, on being disturbed, throw 

 themselves into numerous pieces and 

 eventually, always after the observer 

 has retired, jump back together again. 

 To such an extent has this "yarn" 

 been circulated, that the average 

 school boy repeats it with apparent 

 candor. As a matter of fact, the 

 throwing or breaking apart process only 

 occurs when frightened, and is caused 

 by a sudden contraction of the muscles 

 of the tail, which cause it to break off 

 and usually into several pieces, as if it 

 were brittle. According to the classi- 

 fication of most authorities, it is not a 

 snake at all, but a lizard. Mr. B. W. 

 Drinkard has one of these handsome 

 little fellows in captivity. Some in- 

 teresting facts not generally known 

 concerning the habits of this lizard 

 will probably result from the forced 

 confinement of this specimen. 



The quick eye of a frollicking school 

 boy detects a moving thread-like ob- 

 ject in a roadside puddle left by a re- 

 cent storm. Lo! He has discovered 

 a horsehair possessing life. The hair- 

 snake is captured and critically exam- 

 ined by all the school children; teach- 

 ers as well. Even if the teachers 

 have given zoology some attention and 

 know better, many of them do not 

 take sufficient interest in the matter to 

 contradict the old time nonsense, and 

 the boys go home, procure a number 

 of horsehairs which are put afloat in 

 the "rain-water" barrel, or some other 

 receptacle, and patiently watched for 

 a number of days. Of course they 

 never come to life, but the boys, hav- 

 ing positively seen o/tc"\We horsehair," 

 grow up and tell the same ridiculous 

 tale to their children. Like the glass 

 snake, this tiny worm is not a snake 

 at all, being placed by naturalists 

 among the vermes. They are closely 

 allied to the fatal trichina, though 



