SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— H. 367 



framework is varied and mainly very crude and elementary, being either a simple 

 tripod support from which to hang the heddles or an elementary frame. It is this 

 latter part of the loom that this paper is concerned with. The distribution of this 

 loom is from Senegal to Nigeria in the west, and Kenya to Egypt in the east, and 

 the suggestion in this paper is that it was introduced into Africa via Arabia. 



JVIiss M. A. Murray.— T/ie Witch-cult in Modern Times. 



The pagan religion of ancient Europe. The Mother Goddess. The Horned 

 God. The sacrifice by fire (a) of a human being, (6) of animals. The organisation 

 of the ancient religion and its apparent effect on modern beliefs. Modern instances 

 of the survival of the old religion. 



Dr. W. V. EiSELEN. — The Sacred Fire of the Ba Pedi. 



Mr. H. Stayt. — Divining Boivls from the Ba Venda. 



Wednesday, July 24. 



M. L'Abbh Breuil. — The Eastern Palceolithic Art of Spain. 



Mr. R. U. Sayce. — An Indian Fire-walking Ceremony in Natal. 



Father W. A. Norton. — Native Lore Among the Basuto. (Taken as read.) 



Thursday, July 25. 



Joint Discussion with Section F (q.v.) on The Economic Competition 

 between Advanced and Backward Peoples. 



Prof. R. RuGGLES Gates. — Racial Crossing. 



The prevalence of inter-racial crossing throughout historical and prehistoric 

 times is pointed out, and various examples are discussed. The need for the application 

 of genetical methods in the analysis of racial crosses is emphasised, as well as the 

 difficulties in their use with mankind. The importance of segregation in racial crosses 

 is considered, and the significance of crossing in the production of new racial types. 



Segregation as a means of racial analysis is considered in relation to the author's 

 observations on Eskimos X Whites and Indians X Whites in Canada, and crosses 

 between Indians, negroes and Portuguese in South America. Various other racial 

 crosses are discussed, and the effect of the endocrine glands as an intermediate 

 inheritance mechanism is considered. The conclusion is reached that segregation in 

 racial crosses probably does not differ essentially from the well-recognised segregation 

 which occurs in the inheritance of unit abnormalities, such as albinism, brachydactyly 

 or epicanthus. 



There are, however, certain differences between racial characters and abnormalities 

 as regards inheritance. The former are apparently never sex-linked, and on the 

 other hand there appear to be multiple factors for such racial characters as skin 

 colour and eye colour. 



Mr. P. W. Laidler. — Native Pottery of So^ith Africa. (Taken as read.) 



Friday, July 26. 



Archaeological Excursion to Pretoria and district. 



