November 2, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



599 



tragedy in the heart of South America. Mr. Tliouar, 

 a young French traveller, is now facing dangers of 

 every description, in his attempt to discover the re- 

 mains of our unfortunate countrymen. Gathering 

 information, and supported by good will on all sides, 

 he is making slow but regular advance. We can 

 only hope that he will attain his object; while we do 

 not ignore the dangers to which he so generously 

 exposes himself in trying to penetrate, accompanied 

 only by an interpreter, a country inhabited by In- 

 dians who overthrew the mission of Dr. Crevaux. 

 Our warmest hopes for success go with him in his 

 noble undertaking. 



At the extreme south of America, at Tierra del 

 Fuego, a French mission, established a year ago, has 

 been commissioned, in accordance with the interna- 

 tional programme, to make meteorological and mag- 

 netic observations. We look forward to the next 

 return of the guard-ships, whose work, accomplished 

 under the direction of Mr. Martial, commander of 

 the Romanche, will form a valuable contribution to 

 the physical geography of these parts. 



Finally, after a successful expedition to tlie north- 

 ern latitudes, in the polar seas, which, since the voy- 

 age of the Recherche, have scarcely seen the French 

 flag, one of our countrymen, Mr. Charles Habot, is 

 at present continuing in Kussian Lapland the inves- 

 tigations which he began in Sweden. The region 

 which he includes still offers a vast field for geo- 

 graphical and geological study. 



Such, my dear colleagues, are the chief means by 

 which the advance of French geography, in its most 

 active and most persistent form is disclosed. I might 

 still speak to you at length, but we must not deserve 

 the reproach of weaving for ourselves crowns; and, 

 in the noble titles I have just recalled to you, we 

 should see rather the obligations they place upon us 

 than the satisfaction which they bring to our proper 

 national pride. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



Marriage laws of the Omahas and cognate 

 tribes. 



The Dakotas or Sioux still have mother-right 

 in some of their tribes, and I cannot say how far 

 the following statements apply to them; but the 

 Omahas, Ponkas, Kan.sas, Osages, and others have 

 father-right, and are governed by the principles here 

 given, with one exception, — the Kansas have re- 

 cently disregarded their laws, and have begun to 

 marry in tlie gens. 



The Omaha tribe is divided into ten gentes or clans, 

 each gens having its special place in the tribal circle. 

 In the figure the numerals denote the gentes, and 

 the letters the sub-gentes. 



Suppose that I belong to 1, the Elk gens, which is 

 also my father's gens: I cannot marry any female 

 of that gens. If my mother belongs to 2, a buffalo 

 gens, I c.innot marry any woman of that gens. 



Suppose that my father's mother belonged to 3 a, 

 my mother's mother to 4 a, my father's father's 

 mother to 5 a, my mother's father's mother to 6 a, 

 my father's mother's mother to 7, and my mother's 

 mother's mother to 8 a: I cannot marry any women 

 of 3 a, 4 a, 5 a, 6 a, 7, or 8 a, if I know of their re- 



lationship to me; but I can marry any women of 

 the other sub-gentes. 3 b. 3 c, 3 d, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d, 6 b, 

 5 c, •') d, « b, 6 c, 6 d, 8 b, 8 c, or 8 d, as they are not 

 my full kindred. 



1 



I can also marry any women of 9 or 10, if they are 

 not forbidden to me for other reasons; that is, if they 

 are not my aflinities, such as the wives {real or possible) 

 of those whom I call my fathers, mother's brothers, 

 grandfathers, sons, sister's sons, or grandsons. 



Principles considered. — 1. Marriage in the father's 

 gens forbidden. 2. Marriage in the mother's gens 

 forbidden. 3. The regulation of the sub-gens. 4. 

 Potential or possible marriages must always be kept 

 in mind, and kinship terms are based upon them. 



J. Owen Doksey. 



Woshington, D.C. 



Francis Gallon's proposed ' Family registers.' 



Mr. Francis Galton is now planning to push his 

 inquiries into the laws of heredity upon a more ex- 

 tensive and systematic scale than ever before. The 

 success of his early work, ' Heiedilary genius,' led 

 him to observations in a wider field, which extended 

 over several years, and were collected in his very 

 valuable book, 'Inquiries into the human faculty,' 

 which appeared last spring. His new proposal in- 

 volves the collection of a large number of family 

 biological histories, to extend over three or four 

 generations, and to be obtained by circulating an ex- 

 haustive schedule of printed questions. The writer 

 has just received a copy of the latter, together with 

 a prospectus of the general plan, which Mr. Galton 

 will call ' Family registers.' The revised schedules 

 will shortly be ready for distribution. lu the mean 

 time an abstract of the prospectus and schedule may 

 be given. 



Mr. Galton foresees the difficulties which he will 

 encounter; and, appreciating that the obtaining of ac- 

 curate family liistories of health and disease among 

 laymen is almost out of the question, his prospec- 

 tus appeals principally to the medical profession. 

 Among doctors, all inherited disease is a disease, 

 and not necessarily an hereditary disgrace, as most 

 of the laity are apt to regard it. In this class, also, 

 the scientific interest attached to inlierited imperfec- 

 tions of physique or mind often overbears every other 

 feeling. At all events, although the aiion?/moi(-i will 

 be strictly maintained, Mr. Galton seems to expect 

 that few non-professional persons will be ready even 



