536 
finds were made in ancient burials or in 
caches. 
At Port Hammond Mr. Smith investi- 
gated a number of shell heaps. These have 
a thickness of 44 feet or less, and the re- 
mains found in the heaps were ascertained 
to be not intrusive. A number of skeletons 
and well-preserved artefacts were found. 
There is no difference in the character of 
the objects found in the lowest layers and 
in the higher layers. Judging by the size of 
trees growing on the shell heaps, these sites 
must have been deserted for a considerable 
length of time, but there is no evidence 
pointing toa very great antiquity of the 
remains. Further conclusions cannot be 
drawn until the material obtained in these 
localities has been subjected to a thorough 
investigation. 
Dr. Boas’ investigations on the Bella 
Coola gave some results of considerable in- 
terest. Previous inquiries had shown that 
the Bella Coola possess a highly devel- 
oped mythology. Further studies have 
shown that they are the only tribe on the 
North Pacific coast that have systematized 
their mythology. While among them we 
find most of the elements of the mytholo- 
gies of the neighboring tribes, this material 
has been so elaborated that instead of a 
multitude of spirits we find a number of 
deities, each with its proper functions. The 
Bella Coola believe that there are five 
worlds, an upper heaven over which rules 
the supreme goddess Qamaits. The lower 
heaven is the home of a number of deities, 
the most powerful of whom is the sun, 
called by the Bella Coola ‘ Our Father’ and 
‘The Sacred One.’ The deities reside in a 
house located in the zenith. It is called 
‘House of Myths.’ The thoughts of these 
deities are put into action by four brothers, 
who live in a separate room in the rear of 
the house. Here also reside ten brothers, 
to whose care the winter ceremonial is en- 
trusted. The sun walks from east to west 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Von. VI. No. 145. 
every day. In the east in heaven sits the 
‘Bear of Heaven,’ watching the ‘ Place of 
Dawn.’ On the west is the pillar, which 
prevents the sun from passing into the 
lower world. Twenty-four watchmen are 
appointed to look after the sky and to keep 
it in good order. Three others fly around 
the sun watching his course. At winter 
solstice and summer solstice are stationed 
two watchmen, whose duty it is to prevent 
his tarrying at those places. Our own 
world—the earth—is an island in the ocean. 
In the far east a god is sitting, who holds 
a strong bar in both his hands. Stone 
ropes are tied to this bar by means of 
which the earth is held in place. In the 
far west is thesalmon land. The world un- 
derneath ours is that of the ghosts. Hvery- 
thing there is the reverse of what it is 
here. The ghosts walk on their heads. 
When it is winter here it is summer there, 
When it is daylight here it is night-time 
there. The deceased may return to life by 
being born again. When a ghost dies his 
soul goes to the lowest world, from which 
there is no return. The year is divided 
into two periods. In summer the ‘ canoe 
ot the salmon’ stays in our world. In Oc- 
tober it returns to the salmon country and 
at the same moment the ‘ canoe of the win- 
ter ceremonial’ arrives. As soon as this 
canoe reaches the banks of the river the 
whole tribe embark and are conveyed to 
the ‘ House of Myths,’ in heaven. At the 
same time the female spirit of the winter 
ceremonial, of which there is one for each 
village, leaves her abode in the mountains 
and shows herself. At the time of the win- 
ter solstice the ‘canoe of the winter cere- 
monial’ returns and the ‘canoe of the 
salmon’ arrives from the salmon country. 
These mythological ideas are the founda- 
tion of the calendar of the people, which 
has twelve months, two indefinite periods 
around the solstices and five months be- 
tween the solstices. 
