10 PKO( EEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



important part of the paper was the comparative Eskimo-Turaniai\ 

 vocabulary of over 250 wortls, showing the relation Ijetween the Tur- 

 anian lauguages of N. E. Asia aucl the Eskimo, in support of his view 

 that these languages have had a common origin, and that the Eskimo 

 is the representative of the parent stock. The author also produced 

 ai'ch geological, craniological, historical and topographical arguments in 

 favor of this theory. In the comparative vocabulary there are given 

 100 Japanese words alone whose representatives are found in the 

 Eskimo dialects, thus confirming by linguistic evidence the close rela- 

 tion of the Eskimo and Japanese advocated by Professor Flower, on 

 physical and anatomical grounds. 



Mr. F. F. Payne described some of the customs and habits 

 of the Eskimo that he had observed when at Stupart Bay. 

 His experience had been confined to that particular locality. 

 He had been more interested in the natural history of the 

 country, though he had watched their habits a good deal. 

 They were very much scattered, and shifted about according 

 to their need of food. Their villages were small, not contain- 

 ing over a dozen huts. They made offering to their dead. 

 He had found two old guns and a quantity of bullets and shot 

 which had been offered to the sun. He had put up a beacon 

 and they made offerings to that. If they kill a seal or a 

 walrus they will not go out for three days. They never 

 seemed to have any meetings. They believed in a great spirit, 

 and in a future state. They believed that it was in the south, 

 where they would have plenty to eat and have nothing to do. 



FIFTH MEETING. 



Fifth Meeting, 3rd December, 1887, W. Brodie, Esq., in the 

 chair. 



Exchanges since last meeting, 22. 



Rev. D. W. Watson, D.D., was elected a member. 



Prof. R. Ramsay Wright read a paper on Recent French 

 Investigations on Hypnotism. 



