ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT XVII 



more or less closely the natural functions of the organ- 

 isms. In completing his studies of Seri technic during 

 the year, Mr W J McGree has discovered definite survivals 

 of this stage of industrial development. The favorite 

 Seri awl is the mandible of a bird, and even when the 

 material is hard Avood the inii:)lement is shaped in imita- 

 tion of the natural organ ; the war shield is a turtle shell 

 or pelican pelt ; similarly the arrows and turtle harpoons 

 of the tribe are fitted with a foreshaft usually of hard 

 wood, though there are linguistic and other indications 

 that the use of wood is a vestige of a former use of teeth, 

 probably of the local sea lion ; while many of the manual 

 operations are evidently imitative of normal movements 

 of local animals, most of which hold place in the Seri 

 pantheon. These features of the Seri technic throw light 

 on the use of zoic motives in the decoration of primitive 

 weapons, and hence j^ermit the solution of some of the 

 most puzzling problems of American archeology ; at the 

 same time they serve to define a stage in industrial devel- 

 opment in a manner which appears to be applicable to all 

 primitive peoples. In general, the stage would seem to 

 be antecedent to that defined by the chance -dominated 

 use of stone, which has already been characterized as 

 protolithic; it corresponds with the stage provisionally 

 outlined by Gushing as prelithic ; but taking due account 

 of the materials, processes, and motives characteristic of 

 the stage, it may be distinguished as hylozoic, or perhaps 

 better as zoomimic. Accordingly the earlier stages of 

 industrial development may be defined as (1) zoomimic, 

 in which the predominant implements are beast organs, 

 used largely in mimicry of animal movements; (2) pro- 

 tolithic, in which the prevailing implements are stones 

 selected at random and used in ways determined by 

 mechanical chance, and (3) technolithic, in which the 

 prevailing implements are of stone shaped by precon- 

 ceived designs and used in accordance with the teachings 

 of mechanical experience. This classification of the 



21 ETH — 03 II 



