SECT. II.] PROLIFICACY. 153 



The scanty prolificacy of the native women has also been 

 mentioned as a principal cause of the decay of race, and 

 this phenomenon has been attributed to an original defect of 

 organization. The small fecundity of the native women of North 

 America had already been noticed by Lafitau, 1 and has been 

 confirmed as regards some tribes of the present day. Among 

 the Winnebagoes in 1842, women had on the average but one 

 child; in Oregon, two (Schoolcraft). The causes of these pheno- 

 mena are not given with the statements ; but in other instances 

 the explanation is of a kind as to exclude the idea of an original 

 organic defect of the race. Among the Knisteneux, abortion 

 and infanticide, especially of girls, is frequent (Mackenzie) . In 

 South America two children is the average number ; and Azara 2 

 observes, that women get rid of the others by abortive draughts. 

 The Guaycurus andLenguas, who generally only bring up one 

 child, are, in consequence of this practice, approaching ex- 

 tinction. 3 Among the Botocudes, w_ho are said sometimes to 

 have many children, infanticide and abortion are less frequent. 

 Rengger 4 observed nothing of this kind among the Guaranis, 

 but noticed it among the Payaguas, who by small-pox, drunken- 

 ness, and abortion, had been reduced to two hundred souls. 

 Quandt 5 saw in Surinam a native woman with five children. 

 Schomburgk 6 considers it as a rare instance of prolificacy that 

 an Indian possessed nine children by three of his wives. In 

 Brazil an Indian woman has rarely more than four children. 7 

 Among the Potowatomies, artificial abortion is not often resorted 

 to, but the children are, as among other Indian tribes, suckled 

 for a long period, sometimes to the fourth or fifth year ; even 

 one child aged twelve has been seen to suckle. In several 

 parts of Mexico, specially in Panuco, the custom also prevailed 

 of suckling the children up to the twelfth year 8 . In South 

 America this custom prevails among the Guaraunos and other 



1 "Moeurs des Sauv. Americains," i, p. 590, 1724. 



2 " Voy. dans 1'Am. mend.," ii, pp. 59, 179, 1809. 



3 Eschwege, " Journal v. Brasil," ii, p. 274, 1818. 



4 " E. nach Paraguay," p. 133, 1835. 



5 " Nachr. v. Surinam," p. 254, 1807. 



6 "E. in Guiana," p. 375, 1841. 



7 Freyreiss, " Beit. z. Kenntniss v. Brasil," p. 118, 1824. 



8 Gomara, loc. cit., pp. 438, 440. 



