SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI II No 453 



my own observations do not lead me to think that it was 

 necessarily so. We know that the Indians lived strictly up 

 to their belief, and if it had been an act of religion to thus 

 bury articles, I maintain that in each and every grave some 

 articles would be found. But, as I have pointed out, the 

 single graves do not, in many cases, contain anything; and 

 where the large ossuaries have been carefully examined, some 

 of them have not contained a pipe or bead, while a single 

 ossuary in close proximity might contain a thousand articles. 

 Now, my theory is this, if one of these " feasts of the dead " 

 should occur during a propitious season, many articles could 

 be spared, but if a famine stared the Indians in the face, 

 which frequently happened, they would be too poor to spare 

 articles, and it appears to me that the act of burial was not 

 one of religion but an act of respect. 



The valuable paper by Mr. Wilson on jade articles, and 

 the theory advanced by Professor Putnam that possibly the 

 jade for making these objects came from China, is one worthy 

 of close investigation, but must at present be referred to with 

 much caution. That the aborigines traded over a vast ex- 

 tent of country is evidenced by the fact that we find southern 

 shells, pyrula perversa and other such species, in our most 

 northern graves, while in the South copper implements are 

 found which show by their laminated structure that they 

 are of aboriginal workmanship, and the material is identified 

 as coming from Lake Superior from the large amount of 

 silver it contains. 



SPONGE TEA.de op THE BAHAMAS. 



A RECENT report by United States Consul McLain of Nassau 

 'contains much inieresting information about the sponge trade of 

 the Bahama Islands. The vessels used in the sjionge trade in those 

 islands are small craft, varying in size from five to twenty-five 

 •tons burden, and are either schooner or sloop rigged. They are 

 all built in local shipyards, and their construction and repairs con- 

 stitute an important business in itself. The frames are generally 

 !made of Madeira wood, a hard, tough wood of native growth, the 

 planking and other material being of yellow pine imported from 

 the Southern States. Each vessel carries two or three small open 

 row or scull boats, with a crew of from eight to twelve men. 

 These vessels have an average life of from sixteen to twenty years, 

 undergoing, of course, occasional repairs. It is thought that there 

 ;are from four hundred and fifty to five hundred of these vessels. 



The number of persons engaged in the business of gathering 

 sponges in the Bahamas, handling them, and preparing them in 

 various stages for market, is from five to six thousand, all of 

 whom, except the shipowners, brokers, and shippers, are colored 

 people. Hands employed in clipping, washing, packing, and pre- 

 paring finally for shipment abroad, get from fifty to seventy five 

 cents per day of ten hours. The amount earned by the men who 

 go fishing for sponges cannot be given, as their pay depends en- 

 tirely on the number of sponges obtained. The owner of the ves- 

 sel fits her out at his own expense, and the profits of the voyage 

 are divided up in shares among the owner, the master, and the 

 men. They are never hired by the month, nor do they ever get 

 specified wages. The most that can be said is that the men make 

 a tolerable living, and the sponge fisherman who earns over three 

 hundred dollars a year is the exception. The owners of the ves- 

 sels, as a rule, have their own shops, from which the vessels are 

 fitted out, and on supplies thus furnished the owner makes a profit 

 in addition to others The shipowners, generally speaking, find 

 considerable profit in the business, whfist the fishermen, if not able 

 to lay up any money from the pursuit, are yet enabled to rely upon 

 it for a moderate living. 



The method of gathering sponges is by means of iron hooks 

 attached to long poles. By using a water-glass the fisherman can 

 readily discover the sponges at the bottom, and then with his pole 

 and hook he wUl bring up those he may select as fit for his pur- 

 pose, leaving the smaller ones untouched. Some sponges adhere 



firmly to the bed of the sea, while others are not attached at all, 

 these latter being known as "rollers." About ten years ago an 

 attempt was made to introduce dredges; but it was found that 

 their use was likely to ruin the beds, because in passing over the 

 bottom they dislodged and brought up not only the good sponges, 

 but the young and unsalable ones as well, killing the spawn and 

 working great mischief. The ordinary fishermen also made an 

 outcry, declaring that the use of dredges interfered with their 

 rights. An act was passed by the legislature forbidding the use 

 of dredges, and only the pole and hook are now used. 



When the sponge-field is reached the vessel anchors, and the 

 men, putting off in the small open boats, do the fishing in the man- 

 ner above indicated, returning to the vessel before nightfall with 

 theu- catch. The sponges, when brought to the vessel, are at once 

 spread upon the deck, and are left exposed to the sun for several 

 days, during which time the animal matter that covers the sponge 

 gradually dies. This is a black, gelatinous substance of a very 

 low order of marine life, which during the process of decay emits 

 a most objectionable odor. The vessels visit what is called the 

 " kraal " once a week to land the load from the deck. The kraal 

 is an inclosed pen, fenced in by sticks of wood so as to allow a 

 free circulation of water through it, usually built in a sheltered 

 and shallow bay or cove, on one of the cays near by. The sponges 

 are placed iii the kraal and left to be soaked and washed by the 

 action of the water from four to six days, when they are taken 

 out and beaten with sticks until the decayed covering is entirely 

 removed. Having been subjected to this course of exposure, soak- 

 ing, beating, and washing, the sponges are quite clean, and are 

 taken on board the vessel, packed away in the hold, conveyed to 

 Nassau, and in this condition are sold in the local market. 



The a\erage catch per trip cannot be stated, as the cargoes vary 

 greatly in size and value. Of the larger sponges a catch of five 

 thousand, or of the smaller ones seven thousand five hundred, 

 would be considei-ed a fair lot. Occasionally a cargo of from 

 twelve to fifteen thousand large sponges has been brought in, but 

 this success is exceptional. The vessels are provisioned and fitted 

 out, as a rule, for a voyage of about six weeks, and generally from 

 seven to eight voyages are made per annum. 



There cannot be said to be any season for sponge-gathering, as 

 it goes on all through the year. A number of vessels are often 

 laid up, however, during August and September, the men being 

 timid and afraid of hurricanes during that period. Of course the 

 quieter the weather and smoother the sea, the better the chances 

 are for making a good catch, as nearly all the work is done in 

 small open boats from ten to twelve feet in length. Much also 

 depends upon the energy and the industry of the crew, and there 

 is luck in finding a locality where the sponges are valuable and 

 abundant. 



As to the length of time required for sponges to grow to good 

 marketable size little definite can be said; none of the fishermen 

 are able to tell, though many volunteer opinions that differ widely. 

 It is a matter to be determined by future scientific investigation, 

 but it is believed it will be found that a healthy sponge will reach 

 ■ a marketable size in from twelve to eighteen months under ordi- 

 nary conditions of growth. No attempts have been made, worthy 

 of mention, to cultivate the sponge in these waters. 



The sponges are prepared for export in the following manner. 

 After Vieing bought in the local market they are carted to the 

 shipping yard of the purchaser, where they are cut and trimmed 

 into proper shapes and sizes ; they are then washed and thoroughly 

 dried, being generally spread in the sun for that purpose upon 

 canvas or old sails; next they are assorted according to varieties 

 and grades, and then packed by means of hand presses into bales 

 weighing from twenty to a hundred and fifty pounds. Sometimes 

 the sponges are bleached by being passed through a solution of 

 white lime and water, so weak as not to injure the fibre of the 

 sponge. The consul does not know of any process resorted to 

 for coloring the sponges, and few, indeed, are even bleached at 

 present. 



When offered for sale in the local market, the sponges are either 

 piled up loose or made into strands or beads of from two to ten 

 sponges each. The best sponges are usually made into strings of 

 from eight to ten sponges each, the price averaging about sixty 



