138 Gencral Notes. [ February, 
custom of pretended forcible marriage was originally thus con- 
nected with the rights of the woman’s relatives, and may have 
originated in the desire to obtain for nothing what could other- 
wise be acquired only by a purchase fee. 
These rights, according to Morgan, are inheritance of the prop- 
erty of deceased members, reciprocal obligations of help, defence, 
and redress of injuries, and the obligation not to marry in the 
gens, although practically, the property was appropriated by the 
nearest of kin. Morgan says nothing of any right of the gens 
over the marriage of its members, and it would seem not to have 
had any voice in the matter. Reference to the custom of blood- 
revenge confirms the view that, for certain purposes, a smaller 
family group than the gens is recognized by the people having 
that organization. The example of the Polynesians, who are said 
not to have arisen to the conception of the gens, shows that before 
this was developed, not only was the Zex talionis recognized, but 
the law of marriage and the rights of parents over their children 
were fully established. It is evident, therefore, that the primitive 
family cannot have originated with the gens, or clan; on the con- 
trary, the clan was based on the family or group of kinsmen, 
which would be a parent, his wife or wives; their daughters, 
together with the husband and children of the latter. 
The view of the ancient family held by De Coulange and Sir 
Henry Maine would be complete if it provided for the fact, that 
descent was originally traced by the female line in preference to 
the male line. The defect thus revealed will be removed if it can be 
shown that descent through the male is for certain purposes rec- 
ognized equally with that through the female.’ Mr. Wake, in 
closing, draws attention to the important fact first noticed by Mr. 
Fiske, that owing to the prolongation of infancy children had te _ 
be nurtured by female parents aided by males to some extent; 
and to Mr. Spencer’s remark that, “ To the yearnings of natural 
affection are added in the early stages of progress, certain motives, 
partly personal, partly social, whichehelp to secure the lives of 
strengthen the tribe in war; there is the wish to have a future 
avenger on individual enemies; there is the anxiety ‘to leave 
behind one who will perform the funeral rites.” Under the influ- 
ence of these various ideas and circumstances, the custom of 
tracing kinship for certain purposes in the female line would be 
developed by the time that the habit had been formed of wives 
leaving their parents to reside among the husband's family. 
When this took place the custom would be fully established under __ 
the influence of polygamy, and the development of the gentile 
organization would almost necessarily follow. The primitive idea 
of kinship through the father would, however, still remain in full _ 
force with the attributes which originally appertained to it, 
