198 CALIFORNIA. 



Their bows and arrows were precisely like those described as used 

 by the more northern tribes. The arrows were about three feet long, 

 and the bows were of yew, encased with sinew. Their arrows, as 

 well as their spears, which were very short, were pointed with flint. 



These Indians were generally fine robust men, of low stature, and 

 badly formed; but the chiefs, five or six in number, were fully equal 

 in size to the whites, though inferior in stature and good-looking as 

 compared with the generality of the Polynesians. They had a strong 

 resemblance to the latter, except that the nose was not so flat and 

 their colour rather darker. Although the men go naked, the women 

 are said to wear the maro. The males seemed to be exceedingly 

 jealous, on account, it is said, of the unprincipled conduct of the 

 whites who have occasionally passed among them. Their hair is not 

 worn as long as it is by the northern Indians, and is much thicker. 

 They had beards and whiskers an inch or two long, very soft and 

 fine. 



One of them was observed to have stuck in his head a long pin or 

 small stick, like that so much in use among the Feejees. Most of 

 them had some slight marks of tattooing on their breast, somewhat 

 similar to that of the Chinooks. Several of them had their ears 

 bored, and wore in the opening round pieces of wood or bone, some 

 of which were carved. 



Their rancheria, or village, consisted of no more than five or six 

 huts, built around a larger one, which appeared somewhat like the 

 " tamascals" — sweating-houses. All their houses were formed in the 

 following manner : a round pit is dug, three or four feet deep and 

 from ten to twenty feet in diameter ; over this a framework of sticks 

 is raised, woven together, upon which is laid dried grass and reeds; 

 the whole is then covered with earth. They have one small opening, 

 into which it is necessary to creep on all-fours ; another is left on the 

 top, which is extended upwards with bundles of grass, to serve as a 

 chimney ; in some of the houses there was a kind of hanging-shelf, 

 apparently for the purpose of drying fish. The tamascal differed 

 in no respect from the others, except in its size, and appeared suffi- 

 ciently large to contain half the inhabitants of the rancheria ; but, 

 unlike the rest, it had several instead of one opening ; all of these had 

 coverings, which are intended for the purpose of retaining the heat as 

 long as possible. The Indians are particularly fond of these baths, 

 and make constant use of them. The roofs of their houses are strong 

 enough to bear the weight of several persons, and the Indians are 



