HUNTING AND FISHING EACES 155 



his aged parents. ^ ' On the East coast (of Greenland) it sometimes 

 happens that old people, who seem likely to die are drowned, or 

 else drown themselves.' '^ For the most part the Indians treat 

 their sick and aged well ; but there are some instances to the 

 contrary. The Queka Indians abandon the sick and aged.^ The 

 Ahts,* the tribes of Washington,^ and the Chepewayans ® did the 

 same. The Central Californians killed the old people,' and, 

 according to MacGee the Seri ' often abandoned the sick and aged 

 who cannot keep up with them in their constant wanderings to and 

 fro '.® In some of the accounts of the Fuegians similar habits are 

 attributed to them ; there is, however, some reason to doubt their 

 accuracy.^ These practices certainly occur among the Zaporos.^" 



13. We have now to mention certain other modes of elimination. 

 That form of elimination, which we saw to be of great importance 

 among animals in a state of nature whereby the young perish on 

 a large scale because they are consumed by other species, is of 

 little importance among men who have reached the stage of the 

 lowest races known to us.^^. 



The subject of elimination from disease can be approached from 

 different aspects-. We can ask what evidence there is regarding the 

 prevalence of disease among primitive races when they first came 

 under the observation of Europeans. This evidence is of somewhat 

 doubtful value. It is also of assistance to ask how far these races 

 were immune from diseases prevalent in Europe ; for it is in 

 general to be inferred that marked liability to disease is a sign 

 that no immunity has been evolved against disease because it was 

 previously absent. We can further consider the question of the 

 evolution of disease in general and ask to what conclusions it 

 points. The latter aspect of the matter can be taken first. 



' Boas, 6th A. R. B. E., p. 165. - Nansen, Eskimo Life, p. 151. » Woldt, 



loc. cit., p. 57. * Bancroft, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 205. ^ Willoughby, 



A. R. S. I., 1886, p. 274. « Long, loc. cit., p. 74. ' Bancroft, loc. cit., 



vol. i, p. 390. * MacGee, loc. cit., p. 157. Conditions are similar among 



the Yguazas : see Cabe9a de Vaca, loc. cit., p. 80. * Featherman, loc. cit., 



vol. iii, p. 503. i" Simson, loc. cit., p. 507. 



" It is impossible to estimate the amount of elimination from this source. 

 It is, as a rule, no doubt small. In India, although a higher degree of skill has been 

 reached, elimination from this source is not inconsiderable owing to the pre- 

 valence of poisonous snakes. ' In 1910, 55 persons were killed by elephants, 

 25 by hyenas, 109 by bears, 319 by wolves, 853 by tigers, and 688 by other 

 animals, including wild pigs. No less than 22,478 died from the bite of poisonous 

 snakes. The grand total of mortality is 24,878 (Lull, Organic Evolution, p. 105). 

 The amount of elimination will vary according to the nature of the fauna, the 

 geographical surroundings, habits, and other factors. Thus among the Eskimo 

 the use of the ' kayak ' is responsible for a considerable number of deaths. See 

 Crantz, loc. cit., p. 166 ; Nansen, loc. cit., p. 55 ; Boas, 6th A. R. B. E., p. 433. 



