344 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Nov. \!;i, \im 



are common to one or both of the other tribes. This is 

 caused by persons leaving their own tribe to live with an- 

 other our-, but instead of uniting with some gens of the 

 adopted tribe, they have preserved the name of their an- 

 cestral sens lor themselves and their descendants. It is not 

 probable that the names of the "rentes are very ancient. The 

 Blood genres "Many horses" - and "Many children" are 

 neither of them thirty year-sold. The Pieaan gens "Stiff- 

 tops" is also a comparativclv new name Each sens is gov- 

 erned by ;i chief chosen by the ceremony of the" "Medicine 

 Lodge" which will be described in another place. However, 

 it can hardly be said thai chiefs govern the gentes. Matters 

 Of Importance relating to a gens only, arc discussed by the 

 leading men. and a decision rendered" by the opinion of the 

 majority. Matters Of less consequence, such as the disputes 

 about the ownership of a horse, a family quarrel, or a theft, 

 are carried strr.ight t; the chef for his Je.-idon Subjects 

 of importance to the tribe are discussed in the centrally lo- 

 cated lodge of some chief or "medicine man," aud as iii the 

 gentile council, a decision is rendered by the majority. A 

 tribal council is attended by all the chiefs, medicine" men 

 and married warriors of the tribe. A council is called 

 "they -all-talk,'' a tribal and a gentile council bouse "in-the- 

 middle-talk-to each-other-bousc. " 



The Blaekfeet have very few laws for the social and mili- 

 tary goVefnment of the people. The law recording murder 

 is, that the murderer must be killed by some of the male 

 relatives of the murdered: if the murderer escapes, some one 

 of his male relatives may be killed in his place. If a married 

 man. who has no near relatives, dies, the widows may de- 

 mand some warrior of his sens to avenge him. Thus, ih the 

 story of "Red Old Man," which is as follows: "And some 

 widows, whose husband had been killed by the Crows, 

 painted their faces black and came to the lodge of Red Old 

 Man, saying, 'Our husband is dead, we have no one to 

 avenge him/aud the women cried. Now Red Old Mah'sheart 

 was good, fie could not bear to bear the women cryinc, and 

 he took his weapons and rushed out, saying, 'Cry not. I 

 will avenge his death.'" A woman guilty of adtdtciv was 

 punished for the first olfense by cutting off the eud of her 

 nose: for the second offense she was killed. For lesser 

 crimes there is no punishment save the contempt and jeers of 

 the camp, which are dreaded as much as the penally of death. 

 A coward, one who will not go on war expeditions, is made 

 to wear the dress of a woman. "and is not allowed to braid his 

 hair. His relatives cast him off, aud he leads a miserable 

 life, begging from lodge to lodge and sleeping with the dog*. 



As the members Of a gens are all relatives, however re- 

 mote, men are prohibited from marrying within it, they 

 must seek wives from some other gens. Polygamy is prac- 

 ticed. All the younger sisters of a man's wife, are his poten- 

 tial wives, if he does uot choose to many them, he must 

 be consulted regarding their disposal to other men. There is 

 no marriage ceremony. A man having found a. woman he 

 thinks will suit bim, sends one of his friends to her parents' 

 lodge, when, in a roundabout way, he is praised lor bis 

 valor, good heart, etc. 



After an interval of a few days Hie friend is again sent to 

 make a formal demand lor the woman. The parents of the 

 woman then call a family council to discuss the advisability 

 of letting the young man have her. Often a price is set— a 

 number of horses, valuable linery. etc. If within his means, 

 the young man pays it, whereupon the bride i.s escorted by 

 some female friend to bis lodge, where she immediately en- 

 ters upon her duties as if she had always been accustomed to 

 them. 



If a man die his widows may become the wives of his 

 eldest brother. However, if he does not choose to marry 

 them, they are at liberty to marry tiny one else. If a man 

 wish to divorce his wife," he accomplishes it by taking back 

 the price he paid for her. The woman is then at liberty to 

 many again. The first, woman a man marries is Called his 

 "sils-beside-hitu-wife;" she is invested with authority over 

 all the other wives, and does little but direct the work 'of the 

 other wives and attend to her husband's wants. Her place 

 in the lodge is on the right side of her husband's seat. She 

 en joys the great privilege of being allowed — to a certain ex- 

 tent—to participate in the conversation of the men, and 

 often, at informal gatherings, take a whiff out of the pipe as 

 it is being smoked around the circle. 



Female "children are generally named by their mothers or 

 some female relative. Male 'children by their fathers or 

 some male relative or friend. Female can always be distin- 

 guished from male names by the terminations, thus: Ante- 

 lope-woman, Sittiug-up-in-'rlic-air-woman. Little clk-tecth- 

 womau, etc. As soon as a young man has taken part in 

 sonic brave deed he is allowed to eboo.-e a new name for 

 himself by which he mav be known for the rest of hi., life. 

 However,, names are conddered a man's personal property, 



as are his bows and arrows or his shield, and are often 

 bought and sold, large prices sometimes being paid for them. 

 Favorite men's names are While Shield. Bear Chief, Won- 

 derful Sun. Running Wolf, Yellow Wolf. Wolf-coming-up- 

 the-hill, Young Bull, Water Bull, etc. A very singular 

 custom exists among the Blaekfeet, that a man must not, 

 under any circumstances, meet or speak to his mother-in-law, 

 and if this rule be broken, the mother-in-law may exact a 

 heavy payment from the offender. The writer" lias been 

 unable to learn any special reason for this. Some say that 

 the sun made the law, others that is improper for a man to 

 meet his mother in-law for fear she might hear him say some- 

 thing impolite. 



[to be continued.] 



A BIRD OF NO FEATHER. 



A FREQUENT contributor to the Fokkst and Stukam 

 J\. relates a good story about his endeavors to be agreeaWe 

 to a distinguished nobleman, who, some four years ago, 

 visited that portion of America where our friend' lives, and 

 is there known as the Commodore. 



The nobleman in question, who, by the by. is very learned 

 aud a litterateur of high order, became inlercsied iii the ask 

 and fishing in the neighborhood of an ancient city. Our 

 friend haying described in such glowing terms the beautiful 

 lakes aud the line speckled trout "inhabiting them, the noble- 

 man expressed a desire to pay them a visit. Our friend vol- 

 unteered his services, boat, rods, flies and general outfit, and 

 made arrangements to receive him with hisson, the Marquise, 

 and two daughters, Ladies M. aud E. 



On the appointed day, a beautiful June afternoon, the 

 party drove out to a renowned lake about twelve miles from 

 the city, and were soon comfortably placed in the fishing 

 boat whipping the lake, which was as calm and smooth as a 

 mirror, but not a trout would rise to corroborate ou r friend's 

 description of Uieir beauty. Mortification and disappoint- 

 ment were depicted Oil Ills' broad countenance at their want 



of success, and the host then took the forward part of the 

 boat and put into play all the art years of practice had per- 

 fected him in, but not, a rise could he get. Turning around 

 to see how his guests were amusing themselves, he found 

 them dissecting a wild dower picked up on the road, and 

 comparing it with others of the same family they had known 

 in Europe; the nobleman mentioning the scientific name 

 asked if other members of the same family were to be found 

 iu America. This question was too much for our friend, 

 who. keenly feeling bis want of knowledge of botany, had 

 to declare bis ignorance of the subject. .V dead silence fol- 

 lowed for some time till the nobleman, easting his eye upon 

 the adjacent rocks , then-asked if he could tell him of what 

 formation they were. Another avowal of ignorance ou the 

 subject of geology had to be offered by our friend, who felt 

 that be was entirely the wrong man to entertain such scien 

 title strangers, but being bent on establishing a' claim to 

 knowledge of some sort, turning to the Duke lie told him 

 that in America few men devoted much time to scientific 



Studies 



"Why is thai'.'" said the nobleman. 



"Because," answered our friend, "it don't pay; in this 

 country one requires all his learning and energies lor money- 

 making, and the scientific man has a poor chance in the race 

 for wealth. Yet," he added. "Your Grace must not form an 

 estimate of our people's knowledge of many refined studies 

 by my ignorance of botany and geology." We all try to 

 cultivate a taste for some ol the arts and sciences. Some of 

 us arc musical; others sketch, paint, or do something which 

 can be made useful as well as agreeable. As far as I am per- 

 sonally concerned, being fond of shooting and fishing. I have 

 acquired a familiarity with our birds" and fishes, aud my 

 knowledge of ornithology, or pisciculture, 1 shall be happy 



to place at your Grace's "disposal." 



"Thanks," answered the nobleman. "1 am well acquainted 

 with your American birds, and can tell the name of many of 

 them by their song. For instance, the bird we now hear is: 

 the robin"— and so it was— which for the moment fully es- 

 tablished the Duke's knowledge of that bird at least.' A 

 little further on another songster attracted his Grace's atten- 

 tion. He said to our friend : 



"Of course you know (bat birdy" 



"Oh, yes;" he auswered, "very well, indeed. They are 

 very plentiful here about, and in' fact everywhere." 



"I also kuow r him," said his Grace, "that is the— the— 

 the— well, I have got. his name on the end of my tongue; 

 how odd, 1 can't pronounce it. What do you call that bird'?" 



Now, thought our jolly friend, his eyes twinkling with 

 satisfaction, the Duke is' beautifully cornered by himself, 

 and with a most respectful bow, he' answered- "That bird, 

 your Grace, is called an Irish nightingale, but it is really a 

 bird ol another feather, or rather no" leather at all.it Is a 

 ftog," Here our friend looked at his distinguished quests io 

 see the effect of his wit. He met a stolid stare of the most 

 incredulous Uiud, and the nobleman said he was mistaken, 

 that the bird was well known by him, lint its name for the 

 moment forgotten. 



Our friend was too modest to dispute with a live Duke, 

 and merely answered that the object in question was near at 

 baud, anil ordered the man to paddle on. The party soon 

 came to a dead tree lying partly submerged; a small frog 

 was Been -itiiiigon the end Of it, Which gave one chirp and 

 made one dive in the lake. His Grace looked a little red in 

 the face and said, "ft does appear to be a frog after all" 

 With another bow, but not quite so low as I lie first, our 

 friend smilingly remarked that be was happy that his Grace 

 would not leave America with the poor impression he might 

 have formed of .some of its people's scientific knowledge "by 

 his own display of ignorance of botany and geology: and he 

 now relates this story in evidence of his success on a very 

 trying occasion, to show that he knew something of natural 

 history, that mistakes cuuld occur even in the best families 

 and with most learned people. 



dtw[itl ^§i§torg. 



LIFE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. 



IN connection with its inquiries into the food fisheries and 

 fishes of the coast of America, the United States Fisii 

 Commission has carried on important scientific investiga- 

 tions. While trawls are being set, for the purpose of in- 

 quiring into the abundance of fishes in certain localities., and 

 lor finding new fishing grounds, with but little additional 

 expense to the Commission, extensive dredging operations 

 are u it riad on, bringing up inusense numbers and kinds of 

 animals never seen before by the human eye. Not only are 

 these animals of importance for the purpose of showing the 

 character of the food of bottom fishes, but they are also of im- 



types of structure uot foundin ani'malsinbabifing the shaliow 

 waters, and often unknown, except from fossil type., supposd 

 to be long since cxtiul. It is a curious fuel that many groups 

 of animals, a few years ago thought to be represented only by 

 fossil types, have recently beeufonnd inhabiting tUedeop 

 seas in places in great numbers, and it is reasonable to sup- 

 pose that such groups as the Trilobiles may sometimes be 

 found upon the ocean bottom. The Crinoids, 50 widely dis- 

 tributed and so numerous throughout the f ossiferous 

 rocks, but, a short tunc ago, placed upon the extinct list, have 

 been found very abundantly and in considerable variety in 

 certain regions." Whereas, 'a few years ago it was asserted 

 that there was not a single living true Criuoid, we have to- 

 day no less than fifteen species'" embracing several genera, 

 from the North Atlantic alone. vV~hen the whole ocean 

 bottom is explored as thoroughly as certain regions of the 

 North Atlantic, who can tell what curious forms may not 

 be found'/ 



About twenty-five years ago it was believed that no life 

 existed or could exist below a few hundred fathoms; yet 

 now, from off the coast of New England alone, we have 

 over a thousand species, and every year at least fifty new 

 species are added. Nor is it curious 'that it should have been 

 supposed that no life existed in the ocean depths, when we 

 take into account (he great pressure, the cold and the almost 

 absolute darkness, which exists there. The averaj i tern 

 peraturc is 36° Fahr. Of course the great pressure is over- 

 come by allowing gases, having the same pressure as the 

 surrounding water, to permeate the body tissues, thus produc- 

 ing :-.n equal pressure iu every direction. By photographic 

 experiments it, has been proved that there is ' practically no 

 light upon the bottom, the sensitive prepared paper coming 

 up without any impression. Notwithstanding this fact, 

 most of the animals have well developed eyes, although some 

 are totally blind. It is the supposition, therefore, that the 



animals with eyes must depend upon phosphorescence for 

 light, and. furthermore, that phosphoreseuee must bo very 

 common and very brilliant. Certain coral,, and a few other 

 animals, retain their phospboresence even alter being 

 brought Io the surface. Although animals re very abun- 

 dant in these greaj depths, not a vestfo 01 grabieliiv 

 b;'.- ' '.'' i- b-t-n "found in any deep sea dredging.-. The reason 

 for this is of course that sunlight is e-sentia! ' for the nourish- 

 ment and growth of plants, which is not at all the case with 

 animals. 



The BoPiyhivs of Huxley, which was supposed to be the 

 lowest form of life, in fact the primary starling point of all 

 life, hardly an animal, yet not a vegetable, merely capable 

 of motion and taking food, has been proved to be nothing 

 but a precipitate of organic anil inorganic matter, covering 

 the bottom of the ocean throughout the world. Fornminift rd, 

 the lowest forms of life found upon the ocean bottom, allied 

 to the Awftha. so common in fresh water ponds and on damp 

 leaves and pieces of bark, and, at the same time, to the 

 animals composing the chalk deposit of England, form a 

 layer upon the bottom, thai depth of which has never been 

 ascertained. This foraminiferous deposit, commonly called 

 Globergerina ooze, is composed of many species of animals, 

 belonging to the lowest order of the 'animal kingdom (the 

 ri;it.,~j,n), sonic of which may live upon the surfa.ee of the 



water and drop to the bottom sftcr V but the most, 



probably, living and dying upon the hottom Ihesi m 

 composed of only oile cell, secrete shells of carbonate of 

 lime, microscopic in size, but when looked nl through the 

 miscroscopc, presenting beautiful colors and fantastic shapes. 

 Some are as smooth and glossy as the best glazed china ware, 

 showing beautiful concentric rings of different hues, while 

 others are rough and lobed in a manner which defies 

 description. Still Others have the most beautiful shade 

 of pink, and some present in color a most delicate 

 chocolate blown, Wc find llieiu tubular, coiled CTOi 

 Shaped, spherical, oval, and in masses which look as 

 though the animal started with a spherical form, aud, wishing 

 more room, pushed out a portion of the side into a hemis- 

 pherical protuberance; and continued to do this wdienever 

 more room was needed, until a mass of lobes upon lobes is 

 the result. Perhaps the most curious form is one which has 

 the general shape of a Nautilus, and upon making a horizon- 

 tal section it is found to be composed of chain 

 Although these animals are usually not larger than the head 

 of a pin, that symmetry exists which is always found in toe 

 living and the natural, but seldom in the accidental. 

 That^iucvilahlc and unchangeable, law of symmetry exists 

 even in these one-celled beings, the lowest form of animal 

 life. In no ease do wc find one of them having the itli pilar 

 outline which is to be seen ingrains of sand. Chipped off 

 from larger rocks and worn inlo accidental shapes. Some 

 pre-established law causes these regular forms; in fact, 

 causes them to produce like regular forms, differing in no 

 respect from their parents. 



In lhe.se Forandmft-r<i communication with the outer world 

 is obtained by mean's of holes in the shell, out of which the 

 paeudopods are projected. By means of these little, feet-like 

 projections motion is obtained and food procured. But little 

 is Known of the life history and habits Of these animals, 

 coming, as they do, from such depths; aud not being 

 adapted to life upon the surface. r ihe chalk cliffs of Eng- 

 land were formed by similar animals, living in tie Cl'i 

 period, but probably inhabiting shallower waters than the 

 living forms do at present. In many places this muss of 

 shells is mixed with tnick blue mud. By placing the mini 

 in a tub of water and stirring the nmt'i Ota, I hi n allowing 

 the heavier portion to sink and pouring the top v • 



and repeating this n few times, mi almost perfectly pure de- 

 posit of 1'briiinin.ij'ii'ti is formed in the bottom of the tub. 



Covering this mixture of mud and shells, usually in great 

 abundance, often with extreme variety of forms, sometimes 

 lacking both variety and abundance, but never entirely bar- 

 ren of 'life, we find many forms, representing nearly all the 

 groups of the adimal kingdom, except the higher ' 

 and insects proper. Although the stony, uiany-polyped coral 

 is uot at all represented upon the bottom, still we find many 

 forms of the (forgonitl Or sofi corals, as well as the single 

 polyp stony COraL TheSOfl corals arc represented iii ex 

 trehie variety and by remarkable and curious form-. Bliim- 

 noo rexefrh the bush'coral, and Piira0orffiu ttrborm, the tree 

 coral, both first found on I In - tfi oi •■ Atlantic and pre. 

 sented to the Fish Commission by the Gloucester fishermen 

 and tbissummer obtained by the 'Commission itself, tire re- 

 markable for their great 'size and beautiful color, the 

 former being a very delicate pink, the latter, a pink bor- 

 dering upon Ibc red. Specimens of the tree coral four 

 feet in length, bear evidence of being mere branches, 

 while wc have taken bases which, had they been pro- 

 duced as in a nutUl'al condition, would have undoubtedly 

 , ,, ten II Etee'J he' high, and m-iall that iiuiiihel of 

 feet iu width. The animals forming tins colony products 

 iu unison a rathet tough but spongy mass, branching and 

 gradually growing in bulk. The polyps call contract and 

 withdraw into the mass of the Btein, bui i . n , 

 nentlv in one place, hi the case of the bush coral I hard 

 eilicicius central ftxis i& secreted in each branch, and the 

 polyp In in li'he umbels, attached by their ha,e to the 

 Stem which tl.-y - -..•crete. W hen the polyps are rubbed off ti 



oare stem Is left, which could easily be mistaken Eo 

 tied branch of a tree. In both cases the whole i 

 attached to a rock. Upon the atem*large barnacles often 

 two inches iu diameter, resembling rock barnacli - 

 ing size, frequently malic their homes. 



in a lew place- rocks are found upon the tloor of the 0CCI1II. 



i, , re usually found only in places- where they might 



have been carried by ice- m comparand ly recent i 

 in a few places we have taken large conglomerations of clay, 

 containing fossils of animals at, present inhabiting these lo- 

 calities, thus proving that the] must hue DCfiU J 

 comparatively recent times. In places where 

 found, such "animals as must of necessity have some solid 



base to build upon, as sponges and the like, exist iu al d- 



a.nee. But iu such soft bottoms as are most frequently met 

 with, sponges are almost entirely unknow ti. 



Sere are noticed the devices which nature is continually 

 adopting, tondapt herself to circumstances. A tree swim- 

 ming polyp just budded f i om a mother colony, luting acei- 

 dentnlly;transporled from stony grounds to a softer bottom, 

 by force of instinct, at Q certain "period searches around for 



nbstanee upon which to fix itself and i 

 colony ; but failing to find a substantial base, it is obliged to 

 fix itself upon the "small dead stem of other groups i i 

 niaus, It gt'OWS, but. in doing ,o will become top-heavy and 

 tip over unless something is done. Buds from ibis have the 

 same experience, and gradually, after many years, a mem- 

 brane grows down at the -aine lime that the colony glows 



