Or THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. XXIX 
vivals, judging by all which Mr. Cushing considers the Zuni 
to be intermediate between savage and barbaric stages of 
culture, yet retaining distinctly the cultus of savagery in their 
social condition and in a large phase of their worship. 
Early in March it was found expedient to recall Mr. Cush- 
ing to Washington. This prevented his initiation into the Ka- 
ka Still, by virtue of his membership in the Priesthood of 
the Bow, he was permitted, before leaving, to be present at the 
initiation of other candidates and to hear the protracted recital 
heretofore referred to by him (but unaptly, he now thinks) as 
the “Zuni Iliad” This remarkable recitation, while in classic 
and metric and not unpoetic language, is, he learned, a true 
ritual It gives many mythic details, stating the names of 
probably all the villages and resting places of the Zuni dur- 
ing their pristine migrations, and also the names of the whole 
council of gods of the Ka-Ka. It is, however, couched in 
such, jargonistic or archaic terms, so rapidly delivered and 
so extended (requiring more than six hours for its delivery) 
that he found it impossible to record it or even to write ver- 
batim the several shorter, though not less remarkable, rituals 
which followed it. The value of these rituals and the songs 
illustrating them—most of which it is incumbent on a member 
to memorize — will explain Mr.Cushing’s long cherished desire 
to enter the Ka-Ka. He regards them, unvaried as they are 
from generation to generation, not only as important contribu- 
tions to unwritten American Indian literature, but also essen- 
tial to the right understanding of early Zuni migrations and 
mythology. 
LINGUISTIC FIELD WORK. 
WORK OF MRS. E. A. SMITH. 
During the summer of 1883 Mrs. Erminnie A. Smith con- 
tinued her Iroquois investigations, taking up as a special study 
the Oneida and their dialect. To accomplish this the locali- 
ties occupied by them in New York State and their reserva- 
tions at Green Bay, Canada, were visited by her and a com- 
plete chrestomathy of the dialect was prepared. 
