402 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. ( 



were: Miss Fletcher, Charles Peabody, G. 

 A. Dorsey, E. L. Hewett, R. B. Dixon, B. 

 T. B. Hyde and G. G. MacGurdy. 



The secretary, Dr. George Grant Mac- 

 Gurdy, reported that there had been no 

 special meeting of the association since the 

 beginning of the year; but a meeting of 

 the council was held at Tale University 

 Museum, October 11, in the interest of the 

 program for the Chicago meeting. Those 

 present were. Professor Boas, chairman. 

 Professor Saville, Dr. Peabody and Dr. 

 MaeCurdy, secretary. There was also a 

 meeting of the committee on program in 

 New York on November 18. 



The responsibility for the Chicago joint 

 meeting having been left in Dr. Mac- 

 Curdy 's hands by the secretaries of Section 

 H and of the American Folk-Lore Society, 

 a call for the meeting was mailed in Oc- 

 tober to the more than 700 members of the 

 three societies. 



In response to this call thirty-nine titles 

 were received. A preliminary program 

 was prepared and mailed to members De- 

 cember 14. In addition all abstracts that 

 reached the secretary in time to be sub- 

 mitted for approval were printed (fifteen 

 in number) and were distributed on the 

 opening day of the meeting. 



Among the social functions arranged for 

 the benefit of the anthropologists was a 

 reception on the evening of January 1 by 

 Dr. and Mrs. Geo. A. Dorsey at their home, 

 5609 Monroe Avenue. 



ADDRESSES AND PAPERS 



Professor Boas's address as president of 

 the American Anthropological Associa- 

 tion was on ' ' Anthropology as a Subject of 

 University and College Instruction." It 

 will not be published at present. 



The address of the retiring vice-presi- 

 dent. Dr. A. L. Kroeber, which was read by 

 title in the absence of the author, was 

 printed in Science of February 21. 



The president of the American Folk- 

 Lore Society, Professor Roland B. Dixon, 

 chose for his subject ' ' Some Aspects of the 

 American Shaman." The Shaman was 

 considered in the making, in regard to 

 functions and activities as healer, sorcerer, 

 seer, priest and educator, in relation to the 

 degree of organization, and as regards his 

 position in and influence on the community. 

 The geographical distribution of several 

 features connected with the Shaman was 

 briefly considered, and some of the char- 

 acteristics of American shamans, as op- 

 posed to those of other regions, were 

 pointed out. 



Brief abstracts of the papers read are 

 given in so far as material at the disposal 

 of the secretary will permit. 



Professor Roland B. Dixon read a paper 

 on "The Chimariko Language." A few 

 of the more characteristic features of the 

 language were considered and compared 

 with the types found in neighboring 

 languages. The question of loan words 

 from surrounding stocks is briefly dis- 

 cussed, as were also one or two phonetic 

 traits. 



Dr. Alfred M. Tozzer presented two 

 papers. The first of these was "On the 

 Teaching of Anthropology to Large 

 Classes." He discussed the character of a 

 general course in anthropology, taking 

 "Anthropology 1" at Harvard as an ex- 

 ample. Requirements for entrance; com- 

 position of the class ; difSculties peculiar to 

 a large class, and how these difficulties are 

 met; aids in conducting the course, and 

 results were all touched upon. In "A 

 Note upon Star-Lore among the Navajos," 

 Dr. Tozzer emphasized the keen powers of 

 observation of the Navajos as seen in the 

 case of a gourd rattle which is used in con- 

 nection with the "night chant" ceremony. 

 Holes made in the rattle have been iden- 

 tified as representing stars which are seen 

 in the month of the year in which the 



