1136 General Notes. 
ARCHAOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY.! 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL Socrery oF WasHIneron.—Prof. O. T. 
Mason, of the National Museum, read an interesting lecture on the 
subject of “the Human Beast of Burden.” He viewed the subject 
from an anthropologic standpoint. He began with transportation 
and commerce in prehistoric times. Men and women were the first 
beasts of burden, and all aboriginal carrying was done on their 
heads and backs, Even the improved state of civilized society has 
not extinguished all traces of this, for human carriers are still 
numerous. Hod-carriers have been but recently, and, indeed, partially, 
superseded by elevating machines. The great progress of the 
time has been such, continued Prof. Mason, that no one walks 
nowadays, unless it is a preferred exercise; horses, steam and elec- 
tricity lend their aid to whirl people to their destinations. 
He enumerated the various methods by which the human beasts 
of burden perform their carrying tasks. First by hand, the right . 
hand. He said he had examined a great number of savage imple- 
ments designed to be carried in the hand, and that the proportion of 
those shaped for use by the left hand was not greater than 1 to 50 ; 
in no case did he find a left-hand female implement. Then both 
hands are used, after which the fingers come into play. Illustrat- 
ing the use of the fingers in carrying he mentioned the summer- 
resort waiter, who bears his tray aloft on three fingers. The baldric 
_ is next in order, slung over the shoulder by a strap and hanging 
on the hip. In this way hunters carry game and travellers carry 
small satchels. Then, still progressing, goods to be carried are to 
be hung toa belt. Hanging things on the arm may be called the 
retail method of carrying, and is used by farm hands, servants, por- 
progression is to the back, which is the natural carrying- 
1 This department is edited by Thomas Wilson, Esq., Smithsonian ; 7 
C. 
Institution, Washington, D. 
eae 
à 
