268 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 294. 



The aim of this study was to show the real 

 character of the ideas that the Inuit fancy 

 has woven into the song and story of the 

 Sedna group, to trace their changes from 

 tribe to tribe and to learn the reasons for 

 their variation. 



The author comes to the conclusion that 

 subsequent to the rise of the proto-Sedna 

 myth, the crossing of the arctic circle 

 brought the diurnal and annual myths into 

 close relation when the recognition of their 

 af&nity resulted in a mutual borrowing. 



' The Peruvian Star-chart of Sulcamay- 

 hua' was discussed by Stansbury Hagur. 

 About thirty years ago a group of manu- 

 scripts relating to early Peruvian culture 

 was discovered in the National Library of 

 Madrid. Among them was an account of 

 the antiquities of Peru, written about 1610 

 by Salcamayhua, and containing a stellar 

 chart which is a veritable key to the sym- 

 bolical astronomy of the Inca empire. 



The two oblique lines at the top represent 

 the sky. Immediately below appear the 

 five stars of the Southern Cross, and below 

 them the figure of a large egg, symbol of 

 the Universal Spirit. On the left is seen 

 the sun as a man above the morning star, 

 and on the right the moon as a woman with 

 the evening star beneath. On the lower 

 part of the chart are the twelve signs of the 

 zodiac. 



W. K. Moorehead gave a brief review of 

 the facts that he had recently ascertained 

 regarding ' The Bird Stone Ceremonial.' A 

 more detailed study of this class of orna- 

 ments was urged and their peculiarities in- 

 dicated by an exhibition of original speci- 

 mens. 



'A Navaho Initiation ' was described by 

 Washington Matthews. The JSTavahos 

 rarely punish their children, but they 

 frighten them with the masked characters 

 of the Night Chant, the principal one of 

 which is the Yayhichy or maternal grand- 

 father of the gods. "When children are 



naughty they tell them that this person 

 will punish them. At their initiation " they 

 are subjected to a symbolic punishment, 

 after which the supposed gods unmask and 

 show themselves to be ordinary individuals 

 masquerading." The children are then 

 permitted to look through the eyeholes and 

 learn the nature of the mask. They ac- 

 quire certain privileges at this time. 



The sessions on Friday, June 29th, were 

 held in the lecture room of the Department 

 of Anthropology of the American Museum, 

 of Natural History. M. H. Saville read a 

 paper upon the ancient tombs at Mitla, 

 Mexico. 



Mrs. Zelia Nuttall explained the ' mean- 

 ing of the ancient Mexican calendar stone,' 

 showing that a single primitive, cosmical 

 scheme and plan of government prevailed 

 throughout ancient America. The author 

 has furthermore ascertained that the Amer- 

 ican scheme is identical with that carried 

 out in remotest antiquity by the peoples of 

 the old world. The great calendar stone 

 was shown to be the most elaborate repre- 

 sentation known of the cosmical plan, 

 which formed the common basis of the an- 

 cient civilizations of the old and new 

 worlds. 



F. W. Putnam exhibited a ' new type of 

 pottery from Texas.' 



The remainder of the day was devoted 

 to the examination of the collections of the 

 museum, which were explained by the cur- 

 ator and his assistants. 



On Thursday morning, June 28th, the 

 Council voted to change the name of the 

 ' Committee upon the Study of the White 

 Eace in America ' to the ' Anthropometric 

 Committee.' This committee provided 

 means for taking measurements upon mem- 

 bers of the Association during the meeting. 



The ' Committee upon the Introduction 

 of Anthropologic Teaching ' was made a 

 standing committee of the Association by 

 the Council. Section H was given authority 



