•910 REPORT— 1887. 



The very basis of Geiger's theory is the exact conformity of the colour-sense 

 and the colour-vocabulary. This theory may be tested by the facts as to the 

 colour-names used by the English gipsies of to-day. Taldng the learned monograph 

 on ' The Dialect of the English Gipsies,' by Mr. B. 0. Smart and Mr. li. T. 

 Orofton, it is an easy matter to collect the words forming the scanty colour-vocabu- 

 lary of the Anglo-Iiomanies. For * gray ' they use the word bal, halaw — hair, hairs. 

 Thus the tribe-name of the Greys is the plural Balaws, and the same word is used 

 for the Hemes, whose name is apparently connected with hair. The tribe of the 

 Herrings are similarly styled Bulcnu-MatchJio — ' hair-fish,' apparently a punning 

 translation of their English name. Gray, it may be remarked, when used in the 

 Bible, is used in the sense of hoary and applied to hair. To express ' green ' the 

 Gipsies say Chor-dikincj — 'grass-looking.' Sometimes they use greeno instead. 

 Leland mentions also selno. The word for ' black ' is Kaiilo. The word is applied 

 also to common-heath from the waste lands of the Black C!ountry and of Birming- 

 ham. The turkey is called KauU-rauni — ' black lady.' The word for ' red ' is Idlo 

 or l6lo. Cherries are Idlo-Jcoovau — * red things.' The salmon is lolo-mafchho — ' red 

 fish.' Luller is to ' blush.' The word for ' white ' is p6rno, which is also used for 

 ' flour.' A swan is porni-rauni — ' white lady.' Porno-saster is tin — ' white iron.' 

 When the words for ' sky,' ' morning,' &c., are examined, they are found not to 

 have relation to colour. The sky is dilvel — ' God,' or miduvelesto-tetn — ' God's 

 country ' ; or j^oodj — a ' bridge.' ' Morning ' is Sailla — the ' dawn.' The moon is 

 miduvelesko-dood — ' God's light ' ; or Sikermeuyro — the ' showman.' Its common 

 name is shoon, probably from the Sanscrit root Tchadi — to ' shine.' The sim is 

 kam, from the Sanscrit root (jliavina, meaning * heat.' It is also called tain, prob- 

 ably a corruption of kwm. Tamlo means both ' light ' and ' dark.' Amongst the 

 Turkish gipsies tarn means ' blind,' from the Sanskrit tama — 'darkness.' The name 

 of the ' orange,' Pohomux, is derived from Pobo — ' apple.' The orange is sometimes 

 called Waver-temeski-lolo-))obo, ' the-other-country-red-apple.' 



The colour-vocabulary of the Englisli gipsies is thus limited to ' green,' ' black,' 

 ' red,' and ' white.' We have, then, the notable fact that ' blue,' on which so much 

 stress has been laid in the discussion of the colour-sense, is entirely absent from the 

 English gipsy vocabulary. This is emphasised by the fact that the gipsies some- 

 times use tiie word blue-asar, the suffix being that which is generally added in 

 llomany to disguise a borrowed word. So their word for ' toadstools ' is blue- 

 leggi, because the Agaricus personata, which they regard as a delicacy, has blue 

 stalks. Clearly if they had now in Homauy a word for ' blue ' they would not 

 appropriate that of Gavjo. And if any evidence were needed that the Romanies 

 are not colour-blind it is afforded by their appropriation of the English word for 

 ' blue.' It only remains to add that Yack and Erescare are both given by Pott as gipsy 

 equivalents for ' blue.' If these words are genuine — which may be open to doubt 

 — it is apparently possible for a race to possess and to lose a colour-name. This 

 brief investigation of the English gipsy colour-vocabulary will show the danger of 

 accepting the negative testimony of philology as conclusive. The positive evidence 

 of linguistics no one need doubt. It is clear that there is no relation between the 

 colour-perception and the colour-nomenclature of the English gipsies. 



10. The Seneca Indians of North America : their present Customs, Legends, 

 and Langtiarje. By John Wentworth Sanborn, A.M. 



This paper opened with a description of the geographical location of the head- 

 quarters of the Seneca Indian nation in the State of New York, where upwards of 

 3,000 of these strange people dwell. 



Their religious ideas and practices were set forth. 



The ceremony of the adoration of the maple and the green-corn dance, as wit- 

 nessed by the author, and their anuual New Year's Festivals, and the sacrifice of a 

 white dog, as now practised by their pagan population, were described. 



Curious facts concerning their domestic life, games, hospitality, &c., were pre- 

 sented. 



Their peculiar modes of dress were treated of. Their unique methods of com- 



