512 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1169 



On the same evening a dinner -svas held by the 

 American Physical Society at the Stanford Union, 

 Stanford University, and by members of the Amer- 

 ican Psychological Association at the Hotel Stew- 

 art, San Pranciseo. 



On Saturday, April 7, an automobile excursion 

 was conducted under the auspices of the Western 

 Society of Naturalists, into the Coast Eange foot- 

 hills near Stanford University, which was at- 

 tended by over forty biologists. Luncheon was 

 provided by courtesy of the university at the re- 

 cently completed field laboratory of the Depart- 

 ment of Zoology. 



Altogether twenty-two sessions were held during 

 this meeting and over 130 papers were presented. 

 The total registered attendance, in addition to a 

 large local attendance from Stanford University 

 and the vicinity, included 173 members of the asso- 

 ciation and of afSliated societies from other parts 

 of the state and coast. 



Albert L. Baeeows, 



Secretary 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 

 At the 510th meeting of the society, held at the 

 New National Museum, Dr. Leo J. Prachtenberg, 

 of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithson- 

 ian Institution, Washington, D. C, presented a 

 paper on "The Eeligious Ideas of the Northwest 

 Coast Indians." 



Dr. Prachtenberg stated that four important 

 features of the religious ideas noted among the 

 tribes of this region are (1) an intensive animism; 

 (2) a belief in the powers of supernatural beings, 

 as dwarfs and giants; (3) a belief in the existence 

 of guardian spirits, and (4) a complete absence of 

 the social phase of religion. 



According to Dr. Prachtenberg many religious 

 ideas are common to all the tribes of the northwest 

 coast, yet the northern and southern portions of 

 this area differ in cosmogony. The tribes in the 

 extreme southern portion believe that the world 

 was created out of a watery mist, the Transformer 

 enlarging a small piece of land until it became 

 large enough for habitation. The tribes of the 

 northern portion are satisfied with a world whose 

 origin is not explained, they hold, however, that 

 the Transformer (Creator) first made men, and 

 members of the faunal and floral kingdoms, and 

 later revisited and improved his creation. In the 

 south the Transformer and Trickster are separate 

 individuals; in the north they are imified. In the 

 south the Transformer creates all that is good while 



the Trickster is held responsible for the bad ele- 

 ments ; in the north there is no such disassooiation, 

 both good and evil things being regarded as the 

 work of the Transformer. 



The northwest coast Indians believe that an in- 

 dividual comprises a body inhabited by two 

 "souls" and a "ghost." In a slight illness the 

 "outer soul" becomes separated from the body, 

 in a serious iUness the "inner soul" wanders to 

 the ' ' country of souls ' ' but may be recalled by a 

 shaman. When death occurs the ' ' ghost ' ' also 

 leaves the body and the shaman has no further 

 power. 



No ritual or systematic form of supplication is 

 found among these Indians, indeed it may be said 

 that guardian spirits take the place of deities. 

 Every man and woman possesses one or more guar- 

 dian spirits, each of which has its special sphere of 

 influence. The shamans receive their power from 

 a multitude of such spirits and are both respected 

 and feared. Large gifts are exacted by the sha- 

 mans, many of whom are believed to possess occult 

 powers of evil. 



The 511th regular and 38th annual meeting of 

 the society was held at the New National Museum 

 on April 17. After approving the reports of the 

 secretary, treasurer and auditing committee the so- 

 ciety elected the following officers for the ensuing 

 year: President, Mr. William H. Babcock; Vice- 

 president, Mr. Prancis LaPlesche; Secretary, Miss 

 Frances Densmore; Treasurer, Mr. J. N. B. 

 Hewitt; Councillors, Mr. E. T. Williams, Mr. NeU 

 M. Judd, Dr. Truman Michelson, Mr. PeUx Neu- 

 mann and Dr. I. M. Casanowiez. 



Tributes to members of the society deceased dur- 

 ing the previous year were then read, memorials to 

 General EUis Spear, an active member, and Mr. S. 

 M. Gronberger, an associate member, being pre- 

 sented by Mr. William H. Babcock and Mr. James 

 Mooney. A memorial to Mr. J. D. McGuire, an 

 honorary member, was presented by Dr. J. W. 

 Pewkes; and tributes to Professor Johannes Eanke 

 and Professor Gustave Schwalbe, of Germany, hon- 

 orary members, and Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, a 

 corresponding member of the society, were given 

 by Dr. Ales HrdUcka, Dr. John E. Swanton, Dr. 

 Truman Michelson and Dr. Leo J. Prachtenberg. 



The delivery of the address of the retiring presi- 

 dent. Dr. John E. Swanton, on ' ' Some Anthropo- 

 logical Misconceptions," was postponed to a spe- 

 cial meeting of the society to be held on May 1 

 for that purpose. Prances Densmobe 



Secretary 



