INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT UPON HUMAN INDUSTRIES. 655 



South of the Matto Grosso, or mixed region, lies the Argentinian 

 pampas, shading down to Patagonia. Differing much in features from 

 place to place, the culture is not altogether to be dissociated from that 

 farther north. The characteristics are: 



(1) Monotonous plains, pampas, from high grassy chaco to the bleak 

 wastes at the south. 



(2) Only near the western border any stone for working ; fish, guanaco, 

 American ostrich {Rhea darwinii). 



(3) Food consists of roots, fruit, aquatic products in some places, 

 flesh of guanaco, and rhea; no husbandry; Paraguay tea. 



(4) Dress scanty, guanaco robes, woven blankets; foot gear of peltry, 

 hair side out. 



(5) The house, or toldo, of the Patagonian is an awning of guanaco 

 skin; fuel of grass, open roasting ; skin beds; pappoose hammocks and 

 frames, the first south of California. 



(6) Arts are skin dressing, sewing with ostrich sinew thread, weaving, 

 and hunting; no pottery; no chipped stone southward. 



(7) The weapons were the spear, the lasso, and the bolas. 



(8) Locomotion aboriginally altogether afoot; now on horseback. 



The Fuegian culture area terminates the American Continent south- 

 ward, and yet on this desolate point, 55 degrees south, Brinton finds 

 three linguistic families. The characteristics are: 



(1) Eocky islands with numerous inlets between dangerous head- 

 lands; cold and wet climate. 



(2) The material resources are siliceous rocks, beech trees, rushes; 

 land mammals scarce; marine fauna rich; dogs. 



(3) The dietary is mollusks and fish largely, sea mammals, whales, 

 fungi; cooking in hot ashes. 



(4) Clothing scanty; a skin worn hanging on the neck as a wind 

 break ; paint and ornaments. 



(5) Their houses are miserable huts of wattling covered with grass; 

 no furniture; fire made with pyrites and carried about in canoes. 



(6) Their arts are in wood, bark, bone, and textile; shell knife; no 

 stone art. 



(7) For weapons they use stones thrown from the hand, poor bows 

 and arrows, barbed harpoons, slings, limpet sticks, nets; no fishhook. 



(8) Little travel afoot; small canoe sled; large canoe of beech bark, 

 made in three sections, to be easily taken apart in portages across 

 headlands. 



