928 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 128. 



The types of American aboriginal boats as 

 conditioned by exigencies were then considered, 

 beginning at the extreme north: 



Kyack, or swift flying or man's boat for seal 

 hunting. Umack, or scow or woman's boat for 

 transportation. 



Canada and northern United States, birch 

 canoe, Haida. 



Lower down on Paciiic coast, Dugout, 

 Klinkit, Chinook. 



Inland, Columbia river, Kootenay. 



Missouri river, Bull boat, which is nothing but 

 a sort of crate with bull hide over it and pulled 

 by a rawhide line, i. e., towed. 



South in East, Pirogue or dugout of soft log. 



South and West, reed float or raft, reed 

 catamaran. 



On Pacific side of South America, Balsa. 



In the interior and southward, woodskin. 



The forms of boats are products of several 

 causes or exigencies cooperating. The exig- 

 ency of water is the study of the kind of water 

 and its conduct, and the natives have every- 

 where studied the nature of water. The craft 

 has resulted by a sort of natural selection. 

 Thus at the mouth of the Yukon river the 

 kyack is decked over with seal skin to keep off 

 the spray; farther up the river is a birch-bark 

 kyack partially decked; while still above it is 

 an open birch canoe with no decking, on ac- 

 count of the rapids. 



Exigency No. 2. Material, thus no Sioux 

 made a boat of log, because there are no logs in 

 his country, but have buffalo hide, and the pro- 

 pulsion is by women swimming, drawing the 

 craft with a line. 



Exigency No. 3. Function or use of boat. 

 Thus for its purpose of swiftness the Esquimau 

 kyack is built on the same lines as the best 

 racing shells. 



Exigency No. 4. Ethnic genius or the par- 

 ticular way or style of making by a people or 

 tribe. 



Discussed by Messrs Hough, Stetson, Stern- 

 berg, Pierce and McCormick. 



Mr. Wells M. Sawyer read a paper on ' Jodo- 

 cus Hondius Illustrations,' and exhibited one 

 of the early maps of North America, 1607, con- 

 taining many curious illustrations. 



The principal of these is one in the lower left- 



hand corner of the sheet, showing 13 Indians 

 from Brazil preparing a favorite intoxicant. 

 The costuming, form of vessels and details of 

 manipulation are truthfully given ; to the right 

 is a group of women biting and chewing the root 

 which they afterwards spit into the large 

 bowl from which others are pouring into an 

 olla around which a fire is burning. Each il- 

 lustration is accompanied by a Latin inscription 

 of explanation. Another illustration of interest 

 to the anthropologist is the throwing stick. 



Discussed by Messrs Mason, Flint, Pierce, 

 McGee and Sawyer. 



Mr. James H. Blodgett read a paper on the 

 'Weak Places in our Public Education,' devot- 

 ing the subject-matter principally to the study 

 of geography in the public schools ; he pre- 

 sented a number of old atlases, ranging from 

 100 to 20 years old and showing what slight 

 changes had been made in the books used in 

 1820 and those used to-day and the unfitness of 

 the latter for use with our present knowledge of 

 such things. 



Discussed by Messrs Flint and McCormick. 



Professor W J McGee gave a paper on 'Present 

 Condition of the Muskwaki Indians.' These 

 Indians, known as the Sac and Fox, were at one 

 time independent tribes near the Atlantic, but 

 confederated for the purpose of warring against 

 the Sioux; the Sac furnishing the principal chiefs 

 up to the time of the Black Hawk War. They 

 then moved to Iowa and bought land, and 

 vested the title in the Governor of the State in 

 trust, ex-officio, and now have about 3,000 acres. 

 Their condition is quite primitive, and they 

 are what are termed blanket and moccasin In- 

 dians. 



They build winter and summer houses, the 

 former ellipsoid in form, covered with mats 

 made of rushes, sewed with cord manufactured 

 by themselves ; the summer house is rectangu- 

 lar, covered with the bark of the basswood or 

 linden. 



There is a symbolism connected with the 

 building of their houses. They have many 

 curious beliefs. 



Discussed by Mr. Chas. Moore. 



The Society adjourned for the summer. 

 J. H. McCOEMICK, 

 General Secretary. 



