182 The American Naturalist. (February, 
have sent the object to the scientists of Boston for their opinion, and 
should have ignored this society or its kindred organizations in Wash- 
ington. This would not have been so in either England, France, Bel- 
gium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, or Italy. 
On a Certain Gesture of the Mouth Among the American 
Indians.—It commonly happens that the Zufii and Navajo Indians 
make use of a gesture which has come to have an interest to me. In 
indicating that a person, or thing is far away, or where an event has 
appened or a person is at the time of speaking, these Indians, instead of 
turning the head that way or pointing with the finger, raise the head 
and project the lower jaw in the direction which they wish to indicate. 
As I am not familiar with the mode of gesticulation of other Indian 
tribes, I do not know how widely spread among our,aborigines this 
habit is, but certainly it is very different from that of any of the white 
races p 
When I first observed this peculiar gesture, aside from its unusual 
nature it made but little impression on my mind. It seemed quite too 
insignificant to be of any use in the study of Indian habits, and would 
probably never have occurred to me again but for an interesting ex- 
perience among our New England Indians. On my return from the 
southwest last summer I went directly to Calais, Maine, to witness a 
snake dance, which I had hoped, but in vain, to see celebrated at the 
election of the ‘“ Governor ” of the tribe. In talking with an old man 
of the tribe, I observed him use the same gesture several times for 
identically the same purpose as it is used among the Zuñians. The re- 
semblance was so close that one could not imitate it. I was imme- 
diately reminded of my former experiences in the southwest. In both 
instances the gesture was very different from what would naturally be 
made by a white man for the same pur 
The resemblance may seem too insignificant to mention, for it may 
have been a simple coincidence ; but to me it had an ethnographical 
interest, and may not be without the same to others. 
I have not studied Indian tribes enough to say how universal this 
gesture is among them. It may be characteristic of all our aborigines, 
and it may not be confined to them; but I am confident that the 
gesture was identical in the two instances mentioned, and it has not 
been my experience to see the same among white people. 
This note is a plea for information. Is the gesture with the lower 
n to PARASE distance or direction a characteristic Indian habit ? 
hom I have consulted tell me that it is. If it is, we may well 
