TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 97 



On Human Remains from Poole" s Cavern. By J. Plant. 



0)1 the Habits and Manners of the Marvar Tribes of India. 

 By Dr. J. Shoetx. 



On Phenomena of the Hiyher Civilization traceable to a Biidimenfal Origin 

 among Savage Tribes. By Edavard B. Ttlor. 



The value of iuvestigations among savage tribes, as aifordiug explanations of 

 many opinions and customs prevalent among the higher races, is, in the opinion of 

 the writer of this paper, only beginnuig to become fully apparent. His object was, 

 accordingly, to give examples of the province and method of such investigations. 

 Comparative mythology being one of the best-knoA\Ti fields in which this kind of 

 research has been carried on, it was shown by examples quoted from Polynesia that 

 the myth-producing state of mind is there to he studied in actual existence among 

 modern savages. Not only may the sources of mytholog}- in general be thus ex- 



flored, but even myths occurring in an isolated and unintelligible shape among the 

 igher races may be shown to be fragments of consistent and intelligible mythic 

 conceptions still existing among savage tribes. Thus the story of the opening and 

 shutting rocks of the Symplegades, through which the ship Argo passed by the aid 

 of Athene, was compared with a New-Zealand myth, in which the Night is con- 

 ceived as a monstrous creature whose jaws are to be seen opening and shutting on 

 the evening horizon, and into whose stony mouth the Sun-god Maui enters and 

 perishes. A similar accoimt to this is found in the mythology of the Karens of 

 Burniah, where two strata of rocks are described which open and shut, and between 

 which the sun enters at sunset. 



Again, the ceremony of sacrificing "animals, food, clothes, &c., especially to the 

 souls of the dead, as found among races in a comparatively high state of culture, 

 was instanced as having come down as an inherited custom from an earlier mental 

 condition, in which an evident and practical purpose belonged to it. Among the 

 lower races, the opinion is evidently found that not only men and beasts, but trees 

 and corn, and even inanimate objects, such as boats and weapons, have each some- 

 thing of the nature of a spirit or soul, — generally a shadowy resemblance of the 

 material body. In the offerings made to the dead, not only are wives, slaves, and 

 animals put to death, that their souls may serve the soul of the deceased in a future 

 state, but food, clothes, arms, ornaments, &c., are buried, burned, or exposed, that 

 theii' spiiits may be despatched for his benefit. When such sacrifices are made to 

 gods, elves, and other spiritual beings, there is considerable evidence of a similar 

 intention of presenting the spirit of the oflering to the being worshiped. A num- 

 ber of details were brought forward to illustrate this opinion as prevalent among 

 the lower tribes, and furnishing a satisfactory cause for ceremonies inherited and 

 practised with a changed meaning by higher races. 



In a similar manner the practice of ceremonial fasting was discussed as belonging 

 originally to the lower races, and handed down with much change of meaning among 

 more cultured peoples. The subject of magic was then introduced, to show that 

 the arts of divination and sorcery are, when found among the higher races, mere 

 relics of practices which are perfectly intelligible undei", and consistently belong to, 

 the mental condition of the savage. Thus the ordeal of the suspended Bible and 

 key was compared with such similar practices as that of divining by a suspended 

 sickle among the Khonds of Orissa. In conclusion, the author spoke of the aid 

 which may be rendered by the study of lower phases of civilization, in the problem 

 of separating among civilized men the results of inherited opinion from those of 

 scientific inquiry. 



Antiqiiity of Man in relation to Comparative Geology. By C. S. Wake. 

 Notes on Madagascar. By T. "Wilkinson". 



1866. 



