82 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 80 
and even may be said to be less, than the differences between some 
of the classes of songs within the tribes. 
CoMPARATIVE Group ANALYSES OF MANDAN AND Hipatsa Sones 
The several groups of these songs are found to differ among them- 
selves in melodic and rhythmic peculiarities. These differences may 
not, in every instance, be evident to the unaccustomed ear, but they 
appear in the analyses and the graphic plots of the songs. Their 
presence is an evidence of the correctness of the Indian in asserting 
that he “can tell the kind of song when he hears it.” No explana- 
tion of these differences is offered, nor does it seem necessary at this 
time to attribute them to any definite causes. 
The first 10 songs are those of the societies said to have been or- 
ganized by Good Fur Robe, and they may therefore be considered 
among the oldest songs of the series. Seven of these songs have a 
range of more than an octave, 7 have a rhythmic unit, and 18 per 
cent of the entire number of intervals are fourths. In other respects 
the songs vary, showing no group characteristic. The songs in major 
and minor tonality are equal in number. 
Following these are eight songs that were sung in the gardens. 
These are a distinct type, and we note that seven are major, none 
have a compass of less than an octave, and they are chiefly melodic in 
structure. They are not rhythmic in character like the preceding 
group, as only two of the eight songs contain a rhythmic unit; 
neither do they resemble the former songs in their progressions, as 
84 per cent of the entire number of intervals contain two, three. 
or four semitones, being intervals of a major second, a minor third, 
or a major third. / 
Following this group are the songs connected with eagle catching, 
all of which were said to have been received from animals and to 
have what may be termed “supernatural power.” These songs have 
a small compass and large progressions, contrasted with the group 
next preceding, in which the compass was large and the progres- 
sions small. Only two of these songs have a range of more than 
an octave, while 78 per cent of the intervals contain other than two, 
three, or four semitones. All are characterized by a wide variety 
of progressions, They are rhythmic in character, all but two having 
a rhythmic unit, and they are strongly harmonic in feeling, only 
two of the 12 songs being purely melodic in structure. 
The next 16 songs (Nos. 31-46) show a remarkable evenness. 
This section includes songs of legends, folk tales, and Mandan 
women’s societies. The only point of interest is that all but three 
of these songs contain a rhythmic unit. 
