366 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 32. 



only authority for its existence is that of a man 

 now dead. Tliere were mounds, also, in tlie shape 

 of waler-aninials, such as turtles, crawfish, etc. His 

 theory of these mounds was, that the animals were 

 supposed to be scattered about to guard the central 

 .sacrifice or altar mound. He was led to this belief 

 by observing that the altar mounds are nearly always 

 situated on high ground, overlooking a river, while 

 the emblematic mounds are so disposed around the 

 altar mounds, as to suggest the notion of guarding 

 the latter. 



Personal observations of the Missouri mounds 

 from Omaha to St. Louis. 



BT E. P. WEST. 



In the absence of the author, the paper was read 

 by Dr. Case of Kansas City. 



Observations were given with some detail, by which 

 it appears that the Missouri mounds are built on the 

 lower bluffs or terraces. The author shows also 

 that these mounds must have been coeval with the 

 loess deposits. He says we have reason to believe 

 that the occupancy of the mound-builders was 

 prior to the subsidence of the Missouri river and 

 Kansas lakes, and that it was not continued long 

 thereafter. It must have begun previous to the 

 subsidence," since the remains and implements of 

 this people are found in the undisturbed primitive 

 deposits. Their ingress was probably from the south, 

 and extended northward after the close of the glacial 

 period. Turning northward after the close of the 

 ice reign, they found the warm waters of the Cham- 

 plain lakes filled with fish, inviting an occupancy 

 along their hospitable shores. Here they erected 

 their abodes, and drew their princiiial food-supply 

 from the lakes. In time, owing to geological changes, 

 the lakes were drained.- The conditions for existence 

 being altered, the lake-dwellers either suffered ex- 

 tinction, or were forced to change their mode of life. 

 Their distinctive characteristics, at any rate, ceased 

 long before the European touched foot on this con- 

 tinent. We have no means of knowing whether they 

 were exterminated by neighboring nomadic tribes, 

 or became themselves nomadic in their habits. 



Game-drives among the emblematic mounds. 



BY S. D. PBET OF CLINTON, WIS. 



Indian mounds are divided by the author into five 

 classes, as follows : 1. Emblematic, and built by hunt- 

 ers who worshipped animals. 2. Burial-mounds: 

 this class mostly prevails in Michigan, Illinois, and 

 Minnesota. 3. Mounds which are probably the re- 

 mains of the stockades of an agricultural people. 

 4. Village mounds, — the remains of villages, and 

 their high places for worship. 5. The peculiar 

 mounds of tlie Pueblos and Aztecs. 



The first of these classes was the special subject of 

 the paper. The author's theory is, that the emblem- 

 atic mounds, having the form of the animals hunted, 

 served a useful, as well as a religious, purpose. He 

 regards tliem as having been employed by the hunt- 

 ers as screens from behind which to shoot the ani- 



mals which would pa's along the game-drives between 

 the mounds. Diagrams and charts were used to illus- 

 trate the theory. 



[OTHER AyrnROPOLOGICAL PAPERS.) 

 In-door games of the Japanese. 



BT E. S. MORSE OP SALEM, MASS. 



In introducing this subject, Mr. Morse said that 

 there are curious affiliations between the Japanese 

 and the American Indians, which may some time 

 show a connection by family ties. Among the sim- 

 ple in-door games of the Japanese are some that are 

 played with balls, jackstones, and cat's-cradle; but 

 all these are moi-e elaborate than with us, and the 

 cat's-cradle goes through a far greater variety of 

 changes. The author believes that the greater intri- 

 cacy of .lapanese simple games is due to the fact 

 that older people take more interest in them. Among 

 these games, there is one similar to 'Simon says 

 thiunbsup;' there are triclcs with the hands, much 

 like our own ; and there are numerous games of strik- 

 ing hands, whicli appear easy, but require much prac- 

 tice to acquire adroitness. There are many games 

 that test strength or endurance; among them are 

 some in which ears and noses are pulled, and others 

 where the competitors each hop on one foot, and try 

 to push their rivals over. 



They have a more elaborate game of checkers than 

 ours. The pieces are placed on intersections instead 

 of on squares. It frequently takes a month to play 

 one game, ai'id the players often deliberate over a 

 move for an hour or two. Experts in the game 

 acquire a wide reputation. Japanese chess is prob- 

 ably the most intricate game in the world. The 

 board has SI squares, and 20 pieces are used, which 

 have moves somewhat like our own, though none are 

 exactly similar. The pieces change in grade when 

 they arrive at a certain position on the board. The 

 strangest feature of the game is, that either player 

 can take any piece which has been captured from 

 hiin, replace it on the board, and use it against his 

 adversary. This makes the game utterly bewllder- 

 ina: to a foreigner. 



The Japanese have no games with spotted and 

 couri cards like ours; but they have a card game of 

 ' authors,' which ccnnpels players to cap verses of 

 classic poetry. Mr. Morse was deliglited to find this 

 intellectual amusement a favorite with the Japanese; 

 and he hopes they will never substitute for it our 

 inferior struggles in seven-up, whist, and euchre. 



Life among the Moha^wrks in the Catholic mis- 

 sions of Quebec province. 



BY EKMINNIE A. SMITH OF JERSEY CITY, N.J. 



The paper was an interesting account of the In- 

 dians brought under Koman-Catholic influence by 

 missionary labors continued through many genera- 

 tions. These Indians regard their priests as temporal 

 directors as well as spiritual fathers. The manners 

 and customs of the Indians were described, and some 

 account was given of the studies of the author in the 



