XXX BUREATT OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



rafters of cedar poles; on one-story houses it was a place of 

 temporary resort for the occupants, and with the gradual evo- 

 lution of parapets and the growth of these into higher stories 

 the roofs became upper floors. Subsequenth^ (probably after 

 the Caucasian invasion) earthern bricks laid in mud mortar 

 were adopted, and this type of construction, known as adobe, 

 was generally adopted; and in the better buildings, both of 

 cajon and adobe, the walls were coated with a thin plaster or 

 slip fixed by a soda or other earthy salt. Now, the aboriginal 

 cajon house type is admirably adapted to the present needs 

 of the arid region and is well worthy of consideration by 

 Caucasian settlers. Properly constructed cajon walls are 

 much superior to adobe in homogeneity and strength, though 

 somewhat more expensive of labor. Their durability is 

 sufficiently attested by Casa Grande in the Gila valley, 

 which was a ruin of immemorial antiquity when discov- 

 ered by Padre Kino in 1694, and is still standing despite 

 vandalism as well as natural weathering. Moreover, the cajon 

 is readily susceptible of improvement by the addition of lime 

 or cement to the material in any desired quantity, and by sub- 

 stituting a plaster of lime or cement for the simple slip. So 

 improved, the native construction would seem better adapted 

 to the conditions and requirements of habitations in the arid 

 region than any imported models. The cost would be only 

 that of the lime and the handling of materials, while wood, 

 burned brick, and even stone are highly expensive. The thick 

 walls would effectively equalize interior temperatures despite 

 the enormous diurnal range, which is the most serious obstacle 

 to residence in arid districts; and the general massiveness 

 would lend itself to distinctive and desirable architectural 

 effects. Dr Russell's researches extended also to the lighter 

 and more composite types of construction surviving among 

 the Pima and neighboring Indians, as well as to the attendant 

 industries and food sources. Among the latter the fruit of the 

 cactus figures prominently, not only in modern customs but in 

 tradition and ceremonies, attesting the still more important 

 place which the fruit and its products occupied in the lives of 

 past generations. Dr Russell's material has been so divided 



