526 
its dates.’ This group of legends, therefore, be- 
longs to a class, the knowledge of which is in- 
dispensable to a reconstruction of the past life 
of a tribe, or to the understanding of existing 
conditions of the people, or to the tracing of the 
contact and interrelations of tribes prior to the 
historic period of this continent. 
The introduction, and more particularly the 
volumious notes, in the preparation of which 
the author had in mind their ‘interest to the 
ethnographer,’ are replete with information. 
They explain, more or less in detail, customs 
mentioned incidentally in the legends, and cite 
the evidence by which localities referred to in 
the text have been identified. They also con- 
tain extracts from varients of the legends, and 
note other rites and myths in which figure the 
divinities of the narrative, and give numerous 
linguistic and other explanations of names, 
rites, customs, etc., which put the reader in 
possession of knowledge invaluable for the 
study of these Indians. The breadth of view 
of the subject treated is enlarged by abundant 
cross references, both to matter within the 
volume and to other writings of the author 
upon the Navahoes, a complete list of which is 
included in the Bibliographic Notes compiled 
by Mr. F. W. Hodge, forming a part of the 
book. 
In presenting these legends’to the” public the 
author has ‘‘not confined himself to a close 
literal translation. Such translation would 
often be difficult to understand, and, more often 
still, be uninteresting reading. * * * The tales 
were told in fluent Navaho, easy of comprehen- 
sion, and of such literary perfection as to hold 
the hearer’s attention. They should be trans- 
lated into English of a similar character, even 
if words have to be added to make the sense 
clear. * * * If he has erred in rendering the 
spirit of the savage authors, it has been by di- 
minishing rather than by exaggerating. * * * 
In order that the reader may judge how closely 
the liberal translation here offered follows the 
original, the Navaho text of the opening pas- 
sages—ten paragraphs—of the Origin legend, 
with interlinear translations, are given in the 
notes.”’ 
Fifteen pages or more of these interlinear 
translations afford an opportunity to observe 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. VI. No. 144. 
the construction of the language and its use in 
narrative, ritual and song. 
The examples of Navaho songs are interest- 
ing, not only in relation to the legends and the 
use of the language with poetic intent, but be- 
cause they show that the same device obtains 
among the Navahoes which is common with the 
Indians of the Siouan linguistic group, a device 
to produce the effect of rhyme by means of 
certain ‘meaningless vocables’ at the close of 
each sentence. In his introduction, Dr. Mat- 
thews calls attention to the use of archaic 
words in the songs, to which ‘the priests assign 
traditional meanings ;’ and also to the ‘numer- 
ous meaningless vocables in all songs,’ which 
‘must be recited with a care at least equal to 
that bestowed on the rest of the composition.’ 
The same precision is required in the repetition 
of the vocables in the songs of the Siouan 
group. The writer having discovered that the 
emotional prompting of the song decides the 
choice of these vocables, it is especially inter- 
esting to note that, making allowance for the 
wide difference of language, the vocables given 
in the Navaho songs seem to follow the same 
rule that appears to govern their use among the 
northern tribes. 
The short essay by Professor John Comfort 
Fillmore, upon the music—included in the 
notes—is of peculiar interest. His extended 
experience with Indian songs, added to his 
scholarly attainments in music, makes whatever 
he has to say upon this subject worthy the 
careful consideration of those interested in this 
phase of ethnological research. ‘To quote from 
Professor Fillmore, Note 272, speaking of the 
songs transcribed from the phonographic rec- 
ords taken by Dr. Matthews, ‘‘ they have very 
great scientific interest and value, inasmuch as 
they throw much light on the problem of the 
form spontaneously assumed by natural folk 
songs. Primitive man, expressing his emo- 
tions—especially strongly excited feeling—in 
song, without any rules or theories, must, of 
course, move spontaneously along the line of 
least resistance. This is the law under which 
folk-melodies must necessarily be shaped. The 
farther back we can get toward absolutely 
primitive expression of emotion in song, the 
more valuable is our material for scientific 
