the Vocabulary. It is supposed that this nnaDjieinent will prove the best to study 

 the diversities and agreenieuts of signs. For that important object it is more co7i- 

 venient that the names of the tribe or tribes among which the signs described have 

 been observed should catch the eye in immediate connection with the signs, than that 

 those of the observers only shonld follow. Some of the latter, indeed, having given 

 both similar and differing signs for more than one tribe, the use of the contributor's 

 name alone would create confusion. To print in every case the name of the contributor, 

 and also the name of the tribe, would seriously burden the paper and be unnecessary 

 to the student, the reference being readily made to each authority through the index. 



Xo contribution has been printed which asserted that any described sign is used by 

 "all Indians," for the reason that such statement is not admissible evidence uidess the 

 authority had i)ersoiially examined "all Indians." If any credible correspondent had 

 affirmatively stated that a certain identical, or substantially identical, sign had been 

 found by him, actually used by Abenaki, Absaroka, Arikara, Assiniboiiis, etc., going 

 through the whole list of tribes, or any definite portion of that list, it would have been 

 so inserted under the several tribal heads. But the expression "all Indians," besides 

 being insusceptible of methodical classification, involves hearsay, which is not the kind 

 of authority desired in a serious study. Such loose talk long delayed the recognitiou 

 of anthropology as a science. It is true that some general statements of this character 

 are made by some old authors now quoted, but their descriptions are reprinted, as 

 being all that can be used of the past, for whatever weight they may have, and they 

 are kept separate from the linguistic classification. 



Contributors will observe that there has been no attempt to change their phrase- 

 ology even when it seemed to be defective. Besides the ordinary errors of the press, 

 and those that may have crept into the copy by mistakes in reading or transcribing 

 the written descriptions, some of the contributors will probably share the common 

 experience of surprise at the extent to which details of expression and i)unctuatiou, 

 when in the severe clearness of print, have altered the shade of meaning as intended 

 to be conveyed in their MS. The wide margins and calendered i>aper will readilj- 

 allow even of recoinposition of sentences when desirable. For this purpose, as well as 

 several others, this j^aper will be regarded by each correspondent as siinjjly a proof- 

 sheet sent directly to himself from the printer, and it will of course be understood that 

 a correspondent who may make any kind of correction or note upon this paper will 

 return it by mail (as book proof), so annotated, to the undersigned, thereby sa\ing 

 corres])ondence and securing accuracy. It is indeed requested that all copies shall be 

 returned whether annotated or not, in order to prevent a professedly imperfect edition 

 from falling into improper hands. It is much regretted that the illustrations and dia- 

 granniiatic aids to the descriptions, furnished by most of the contributors, cannot be 

 reproduced in this paper, so that their accuracy also might be determined, but the 

 cost of such illustrations cannot be incui-red at this time and for this purpose. The 

 "Outlines for Arm Positions" and "Types of Hand Positions" were i)rovided for from 

 the appropriation for this Bureau, but its amount does not adiiut of such an under- 

 taking as now in question. In this connection it may be mentioned that the descrip- 

 tions frequently refer to illustrations furnished by the contributors or to the " Out- 

 lines "and "Types," and these references are retained in print. As all the contributors 

 remember their own illustrations, etc.. the references will be intelligible to themselves. 



