ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 35 



quality, taking it often from stagnant pools or ponds, where fish 

 are cleaned and offal is thrown in. In their excursions out to sea 

 they never take supplies of fresh water, but drink sea water. These 

 practices have no apparent effect on their health. They never 

 bathe or wash their bodies, but on certain occasions the men light 

 a fire in the kashima, strip themselves and dance and jump around 

 until in a profuse perspiration. They then apply urine to their 

 oily bodies and rub them until a lather appears, after which they 

 plunge into the river. The sports of children are all aquatic, such 

 as sailing miniature canoes or pieces of drift wood, building fish- 

 traps, throwing spears and arrows at gulls and other birds, and then 

 wading or plunging in to recover them. In winter these people 

 huddle together in their little quarters where they have no form of 

 artificial heat except what is furnished by smoking and flaring oil 

 lamps with wicks of moss. These houses are exceedingly close, 

 and the only avenue through which air can enter is littered up 

 with offal and filth of all kinds. 



The paper was discussed by several members. 



Prof. Mason inquired whether these people were much subject to 

 diseases, such as consumption and rheumatism, and also relative to 

 their longevity. 



Mr. Petroff replied that they were subject to consumption. He 

 thought that 50 years would be about the maximum age attained 

 by them. 



Major Powell remarked that the council-house is an institution 

 common to. many tribes, and that in most tribes it is called 

 the sweat-house, or sudatory. He said that the Indian tent is 

 a modern innovation, and that formerly they had dwellings of 

 various kinds and materials. The skin tent was simply their por- 

 table shelter, besides which they had permanent ones. He also 

 spoke of the great power of tribes to adapt themselves to their 

 environment, and described the natural development of the 

 pueblo dwellings and fortified villages from a primitive origin in 

 mere temporary piles of loose stones thrown up for protection. 



Dr. Reynolds stated that in Portugal, where soap was often very 



