28 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 470. 



on tlie Haida and other tribes he has been 

 studying. In his winter field work he hopes 

 to ascertain the relationships, if any, between 

 the Tlinkit and the Haida. 



On account of the illness of Dr. Lamb his 

 paper went over, and the society resolved itself 

 into a committee of the whole to discuss the 

 subject of cave exploration. 



Professor Holmes stated the problems to be 

 solved and mentioned the explorations of 

 Fowke, McGuire, Putnam and Moorehead. 

 He pointed out that caves show undisturbed 

 sites and hence give a good record, and an- 

 nounced that Professor Putnam has found 

 early man with fossils in caves of California. 

 As yet he said the evidence of early man in 

 the caves exploration in the east is negative. 



Dr. Fewkes said that caves were gathering 

 places of men for religious purposes as the 

 Cave of the Sun at Porto Plata, where it is 

 believed by the natives that the sun and moon 

 rose. He stated his belief that the lowest 

 form of man is found in South America and 

 in eaves in the region of the Tapuyan stock. 

 Dr. Hrdlicka remarked on the caves of north- 

 ei'n Mexico where there are (1) shelters show- 

 ing evidences of fire, chips and bones, and little 

 art; (2) having human burial; (3) the deep 

 variety containing ceremonial objects, and 

 (4) the dwelling caves, and showed all occur 

 in a region inhabited by a single people. 



Mr. McGuire gave an interesting account 

 of his recent cave hunting in Maryland and 

 Pennsylvania. He examined a number of 

 caves, and while the finds were numerous no 

 evidence was found as to the antiquity of man. 



Professor McGee said that cave studies 

 should be made not so much for man as for 

 paleontology, and should be a geological prob- 

 lem. 



The president told interestingly her obser- 

 vations on cave exploration and said that 

 some Indian words indicate going under the 

 ground to enter the house, and perhaps refer 

 to a period when caves were used as habita- 

 tions. 



The 350th meeting was held November 17, 

 1903. 



Dr. J. Walter Fewkes read a paper on the 

 stone collars and tripointed images, or zemes. 



of Porto Eieo. Doctor Fewkes illustrated his 

 paper with large drawings of the types of 

 these specimens. The collars, which are 

 found almost wholly in Porto Eico, are fine 

 examples of stone working, having gone 

 through the process of carving and polishing 

 after the rough work of pecking with a stone 

 hammer. Each collar has an oval, flat, 

 roughened area on one side. 



The tripointed images are of five types: 

 (1) Smooth, without decoration; (2) with 

 conoid projection modified into a head; (3) 

 with face on one side; (4) with head on the 

 right and two legs on the left; (5) with four 

 legs. Most of the images have human faces, 

 though some are in the shape of animals and 

 birds. In reference to the relation between 

 the collars and the tripointed images. Dr. 

 Fewkes called attention to the theory of J. J. 

 Acosta that images generally have the same 

 proportion and were placed on the fiat surface 

 of the collar and secured by cords. A speci- 

 men showing the feasibility of such junction 

 was displayed. Dr. Fewkes said that there is 

 no proof that these objects are not idols and 

 that they show the representation of anthro- 

 pomorphic gods in Porto Rico. Most of the 

 collars seem to be serpent forms. In absence 

 of data, however, there are still enigmas that 

 require for their solution more field work and 

 research, to which end Dr. Fewkes will devote 

 this winter's labors in the "West Indies. 



In answer to an inquiry from the president. 

 Miss Fletcher, Dr. Fewkes said that the tri- 

 form images are geographical and resemble 

 Yunque Mountain. In answer to a question 

 from Mr. McGuire, Dr. Fewkes said there 

 seem to be more triform images than collars, 

 and he further remarked that the locality 

 where the collars have been found has not 

 been recorded. 



The secretary mentioned that Professor 

 Mason had remarked on the similarity be- 

 tween the cedar bark collars of the northwest 

 coast Indians and the stone collars of Porto 

 Rico. 



Dr. John E. Swanton said that the resem- 

 blance is probably accidental and further said 

 that if the Porto Rican collars were evidence 

 of a serpent cult the art modifications might 



