Ch. iv. among the American Indians. 41 



with rearing more than two of their offspring.* 

 When twins are born, one of them is commonly 

 abandoned, as the mother cannot rear them both; 

 and when a mother dies during the period of 

 suckling her child, no chance of preserving its life 

 remains, and, as in New Holland, it is buried in 

 the same grave with the breast that nourished 



it.t 



As the parents are frequently exposed to want 

 themselves, the difficulty of supporting their 

 children becomes at times so great, that they are 

 reduced to the necessity of abandoning or destroy- 

 ing them.J Deformed children are very gene- 

 rally exposed; and, among some of the tribes in 

 South America, the children of mothers who do 

 not bear their labours well, experience a similar 

 fate, from a fear that the offspring may inherit 

 the weakness of its parent. § 



To causes of this nature we must ascribe the 

 remarkable exemption of the Americans from de- 

 formities of make. Even when a mother endea- 

 vours to rear all her children without distinction, 

 such a proportion of the whole number perishes 

 under the rigorous treatment which must be their 

 lot in the savage state, that probably none of 

 those who labour under any original weakness or 

 infirmity can attain the age of manhood. If they 

 be not cut off as soon as they are born, they 



* Robertson, b. iv. p. 107. Lettres Edif. torn. ix. p. 140. 

 t Robertson, b. iv. p. 107. Lettres Edif. tom. viii. p. 86. 

 X Robertson, b. iv. p. 108. 

 § Lafitau, Mceurs des Sauv. torn. i. p. 592. 



