28 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XVII, 



race should independently develop similar designs, even under 

 different environment, is, a priori, more probable than that 

 members of two totally distinct races living on different con 

 tinents should do so. Yet a most remarkable example of 

 this has been noted recently. Several of the negro tribes of 

 East Africa, living to the south of Lake Victoria Nyanza, 

 are most expert makers of coiled basketry. A considerable 

 collection of these baskets is to be found in the rich collections 

 of the Konigliche Museum fur Volkerkunde in Berlin; and, 

 having been struck by the remarkable similarity of the designs 

 to those of the Maidu, permission was very kindly given 

 to have several of the baskets photographed for the purpose 

 of comparison here. On Plate XXXVII, seven of these East 

 African baskets are shown; and the designs, the meaning of 

 which is unfortunately unknown, may be compared with 

 several Maidu designs already described. With the feather 

 (Plate X, Fig. 3; Plate XI, Fig. 3), Fig. i may be compared. 

 The similarity of Figs. 2, 3, to the vine (Plate VIII, Fig. 2, 

 etc.), is so close as to be very striking; while the practical 

 identity of Fig. 4 with the water-snake on Plate IV, Figs. 4, 5, 

 is even more startling. The earthworm or deer-excrement 

 design finds its counterpart in Fig. 7; whereas Figs. 5, 6, 

 especially the latter, show close similarity to the Maidu flower 

 as shown on Plate VIII, Fig. 4. The gr.eat similarity, not to 

 say identity, of these designs, is most striking, and, as in this 

 case we have no possible suggestion of borrowing or contact, 

 we are forced to regard the instance as a remarkable example 

 of the independent origin of similar designs by peoples not only 

 antipodal in their location, but of entirely distinct races. 

 Since, therefore, even in such extreme cases, simple designs 

 may be independently devised, it is quite possible that such 

 widely distributed designs as the arrow-point may here be 

 explained in the same way, and we may not need to look to 

 dissemination or borrowing to explain them. 



While the facts here presented have some value and interest 

 in and for themselves, they have also a significance in the light 

 which they may throw on the general theories of art and the 

 development of design in general. That the geometric designs 



