1096 The American Naturalist. [November, 
It is my purpose later to publish an elaborate paper on the Z/ampo- 
ney, in which will be embodied the songs, set to music, which were ob- 
tained by the use of the phonograph, so that it is not necessary to do 
more in this account than to say that the ceremony is a corn dance 
performed by women, and somewhat similar to a dance called the 
Klaheywey, yearly celebrated by them. It is a ‘‘ tablet dance,’’ in which 
corn is carried in the hands, and takes place just before the harvest. 
The dance continues for a whole day and night in the open plaza, and 
most of the ceremonials can be seen by all.! 
Not far from the site of an old Pueblo of the Zuñi valley, called 
Halonawan, the “Ant Hill,” on the opposite side of the Rio Zufii from 
Shewena, the present Pueblo of Zufii, there is a small shrine known as 
Herpähtenäh. This is a very sacred place to the Zufiians, and very 
interesting ceremonies are performed about it. At the close of the 
Hamponey a solemn procession of participants in the ceremonies of 
the dance makes a pilgrimage toit. They place in its interior the offer- 
ings of prayer plumes, sacred meal and water used in the dance. 
While I have reserved a description of what takes place at Herpatenah 
for another place, a notice of it finds an appropriate place here in con- 
nec‘ion with my phonographic work on the songs and prayers of the 
Hamponey. 
Travellers on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad may have noticed 
the splendid flow of lava or ** malpais’’ near the road at McCarty and 
Grant Stations. The appearance of this lava is so fresh that one might 
say that it was viscid but a few years ago. In places it looks not less 
ancient than some of the historic lava flows on the sides of Vesuvius. 
It is reported on good evidence that at certain points along the edge 
of this flow there are artificial structures, partially covered by this lava. 
The existence of these would be good evidences of its age as compared 
with the existence of man in the neighborhood. As additional evi- 
dence bearing on this point I have brought to light an old Acoma 
folk-tale which accounts for its origin. I owe my knowledge of the 
existence of this tale to Capt. Pradt, of Laguna. 
According to this legend an old gambler challenged the sun to play 
with him. This challenge the sun at first refused to accept, but being 
taunted with cowardice he played with his challenger, won all that he 
had, and made him blind. The blind man was in turn taunted by his 
fellows, and to revenge himself sought the help of a powerful person, 
who caused the earth-pitch (lava) to rise out of the earth and destroy 
men and their dwellings. The whole human race, the story goes, 
would have been destroyed if the snow-birds had not collected together 
! Mexicans are not allowed to witness any of the sacred dances of the Zufiians. 
