April 8, 1887.] 



SCIEJSrCE. 



335 



longation on one end, and are furnished with a 

 loop through which the oar is passed. They have 

 a single mast amidships, and a single sail. In 

 the rock carvings similar boats are represented 

 all along the coasts of the Baltic, as far east as 

 the south-east bank of Onega Lake, and on the 

 coast of Norway. In the boat-shaped stone 

 groups the high stem and stern posts are indi- 

 cated by large bowlders ; the rowlocks, by excava- 

 tions in the stones. The boat-relics resemble the 

 modern boat even in details, and show how little 

 change has been made in northern naval architec- 

 ture since olden times. 



Donald A. Cameron, English consul for eastern 

 Soudan, is studying the ethnology of the district 

 of Suakin. The preliminary result of his re- 

 searches is that the Beja (Bisharin), which is the 

 general name applied to all tribes of that country 

 speaking Tobedawiet, are the aborigines, who 

 gradually adopted Islam through contact with the 

 coast or wiih Egypt after they had absorbed a 

 number of Arabs from Yemen who had invaded 

 their country (Joum. anthrop. inst., Feb. 1887). 



The Bulletin of the Italian geographical society, 

 for February, contains the catalogue of an ethno- 

 logical collection made by General Gen6 in the 

 Italian possessions on the Red Sea. It consists of 

 implements, clothing, ornaments, and weapons 

 belonging to the Beja, and some Somali and 

 Abyssinian objects. The explanation of the well- 

 known implements is very full, and contains much 

 valuable information. 



Ph. Paulitschke has published the results of bis 

 studies on the Somali, Galla, and Harrari (' Bei- 

 trage zur Ethnographie und Anthropologic der 

 Soraal, Galla, und Hararl,' Leipzig, 1886). He 

 gives a full description of the ethnological char- 

 acter of these peoples, and several anthropological 

 measurements. It is impossible to point out the 

 numerous new observations contained in this book, 

 and we confine ourselves to stating the conclusions 

 at which the author arrives regarding the history 

 of these peoples. Originally the country was in- 

 habited by negroes who had been driven from 

 their old seats by Haraitic invaders, v.'ho came 

 from the north. Later on, an Arabic invasion 

 took place, which began in the sixth century and 

 lasted until the sixteenth. The invaders and 

 Hamites intermarried, and thus formed the Somali 

 and Dankali, which latter contain a larger propor- 

 tion of Semites. These nations attacked theGallas, 

 who were driven from the shore to the country 

 they now occupy. A map which accompanies 

 the book shows the distribution of the tribes. 

 ■ R. N. Gust has presented to the Anthropological 

 institute of England a collection of symbolic 

 . letters such as are used by the Jebu. in West 



Africa, They are figured in the Journal of the 

 anthropological institute (February, 1887), and 

 full explanations are given. There are many 

 specimens of such messages in the ethnological 

 collections ; but few of them have the explana- 

 tions, which alone make them valuable. It 

 would be very desirable to have examples of 

 symbolic messages collected among all peoples, 

 and their study pursued in connection with that 

 of picture-writing and sign-language. 



The Journal of the anthropological institute 

 (February, 1887) contains an interesting paper by 

 A. W. Howitt, on songs and song-makers of some 

 Australian tribes, and several specimens of songs 

 noted down by G. W. Torrance. The poets of 

 the tribes are held in great esteem. Their names 

 are known to the neighboring peoples, and their 

 songs are carried from tribe to tribe, even beyond 

 the limits of the language in which they are com- 

 posed. The natives believe that the songs are 

 obtained by the bards from the spirits of the 

 deceased, usually their relatives, during sleep, in 

 dreams ; but Howitt gives some instances of 

 songs which are descriptive of events, and, as the 

 poets declare, composed under the influence of 

 some natural cause. Torrance gives three tunes, 

 which he has divided into bars, according to the 

 style of our music. This, however, is not correct, 

 as the irregular accent does not allow their being 

 arranged in this way. Fortunately the study of 

 aboriginal poetry and music is being taken up 

 now by several students. We call to mind Brin- 

 ton's, Stumpf's, and Baker's researches. But an 

 energetic pursuit is very desirable, as the native 

 literature, which is handed down by tradition 

 alone, is being rapidly lost everywhere. 



Dr. H. Rink announces the death of Samuel 

 Kleinschmidt, which occurred at Godhaab, Green- 

 land. Feb. 9, 1886. Kleinschmidt, who was born 

 in Greenland, is distinguished by his eminent 

 knowledge of the Eskimo language. The results 

 of his studies, which form the foundation of our 

 knowledge of that language, are contained in his 

 dictionary and grammar of the Eskimo language. 

 Of late he took an active part in studying the 

 meteorology of Greenland. 



W. Sievers gives a brief sketch of the Arhuaco 

 Indians, who live in the Sierra Nevada de Santa 

 Marta, in the Zeitschrift der Oesellschaft fur Erd- 

 kunde (vol. xxi. p. 887). The author travelled in 

 Columbia in 1886, and visited the four villages of 

 these Indians. The natives living on the northern 

 declivity of the Sierra have preserved their old 

 customs to a higher degree than the rest. Sievers 

 describes their round, low huts and their scanty 

 household goods, which consist of a pot, a bed, a 

 few wooden stools, and a number of pouches 



