ACORN-GRANARIES—ERRONEOUS ANATOMY. Bhi)! | 
For food they depend principally on acorns. They had, in common 
with many tribes both in the Sierra and in the Coast Range, a kind of 
granary to store them in for winter. When the crop was good and they 
harvested more than they wished to carry to camp just then, with a fore- 
thought not common among barbarians they laid by the remainder on the 
spot. Selecting a tree which presented a couple of forks a few feet from 
the ground, but above the reach of wild animals, they laid a pole across, and 
-on that as a foundation, wove a cylinder-shaped granary of willow wicker- 
work, three or four feet in diameter and twice as high, which they filled 
with acorns and covered with thatch. There they remained safe. As these 
were often miles from a village, the circumstance denotes that they reposed 
no small confidence in each other’s honesty. It goes near to refute 
altogether the frequent allegations that they are a nation of thieves. Now- 
adays, they make most of their granaries close to camp, either right on the 
ground or elevated on top of some posts. 
It is generally asserted of these Indians that they will eat anything. 
But there is one exception, and that is the clean, sweet flesh of the skunk. 
Old hunters assert that it is such, but the aborigines detest it beyond 
measure. So uncompromising is their horror of this animal that they have 
never examined one; consequently they have an erroneous impression of 
its anatomy. They believe that the effluvium is produced, not by any 
peculiar secretion, but by the emission of wind! An old hunter related an 
amusing method of capturing this animal which he had seen among the 
Nishinam. One man attracted its attention.in front while another ran up 
quickly behind, seized it by the tail, and by a blow with his hand on the 
back of the neck broke that organ before the beast could become offensive. 
The Miwok utilize it in one way atleast; they sometimes hang the carcasses 
on trees along a trail difficult to follow, so that they can be guided by one 
sense if not by another. I have seen this myself. 
They are very fond of hare, and make comfortable robes of their 
skins. They cut them into narrow slits, dry them in the sun, then lay them 
close together, and make a rude warp of them by tying or sewing strings 
across at intervals of a few inches. 
Soap-root is used in the manufacture of a kind of glue, and the squaws 
