FOOD—LODGES. 245 
making very large, circular sweat-heuses or dance-houses, and also for general 
public purposes; whereas they, the Shastika, had no such custom. They 
say further, that these previous dwellers worshiped Mount Shasta, and 
always placed their villages where they could behold it. War ensued, of 
course, and these aborigines were expelled and driven south of Mount Shasta 
by the new-comers. In addition to the traditions mentioned above, there 
are evidences of the occurrence of this migration in the large, circular exca- 
vations found to this day in Scott and Shasta Valleys, showing the former 
existence of structures larger than any now constructed. 
Salmon were once abundant and good in the streams ownéd by them, 
though nowadays the Scott Valley Shastika are compelled to go over the 
mountains to Salmon and Klamath Rivers in fishing-time. Acorns also are 
plenty in the western part of their domain, and roots along the streams. 
The great Shasta plains were anciently the most famous hunting-grounds 
in Northern California, abounding in elk, deer, antelope, and wild sheep, 
which grazed on the alfilerilla, and other grasses produced there. The pos- 
session of these made the Shastika the envy of surrounding tribes, and to 
retain them cost their owners many a bloody fight. They also produce 
great numbers of large and succulent crickets, which they consider tooth- 
some when roasted. Choke-cherries furnish them juicy messes in autumn ; 
cammas grows in abundance. For winter occupation they have conical 
bark lodges, but in summer, like most tribes in the State, they roam along 
the banks of the streams, and dwell in cool bush-arbors. 
In the Introduction, the Shastika and the Modok were both excluded 
from the California Indians, and there are several reasons that may be given 
for this classification. 
First. When the Wintiin come over on a visit, both tribes speak English 
together, just as is done when the Paiuti come over the Sierra. The Cali- 
fornians almost universally learn each other’s languages or dialects, which 
is easy on account of their similarity in structure and their possession of 
words in common; but here the separating chasm is so wide that both prefer 
to use English. 
Second. They have no assembly chamber, which is the one shibboleth 
of a Californian. 
