74 Cincinnati Society of Natural Fitstory. 
loose and attach heavy ornaments thereto—and some perforate the 
cartilages of the nose, in which they wear rings, reeds, feathers, 
and other decorations. 
The Quiches of Guatemala pierced their ears and lower lips. 
The natives of Yucatan as well as on the northwestern coast flatten 
their heads and foreheads by artificial compression. 
On the 13th of March, 1848, the famous ethnologist Mr. Albert 
Gallatin wrote: ‘‘ Philology is the great and unerring guide by 
which to ascertain the respective families to which every tribe does 
belong, * *  or,.if such bethe case, whether it is different from 
any language previously known to us.” 
Professor Rafinesque gives the number of original Indian lan- 
guages in North America as fourteen : 
1. Uskih, Esquimaux, &c. 8. Choctaw, Choctaw, &c. 
2. Onguy, Wyandot, &c. 9g. Otaly, Cherokee, &c. 
3. Lenape, Chippeway, &c. 10. Atalan, Tarascan, &c. 
4. Wacash, N. W. coast, &c. 11. Otomi, Otomi, &c. 
5. Skere, Pawnee, &c. 12. Aztec, Mexican, &c. 
6. LVachez, Natchez, &c. 13. Maya, Huesteca, &c. 
7.. Capaha, Sioux, ec: 14. Chowtal, Tzendal, &c. 
The question most interesting is whether any connection exists 
between them and those of other people of the earth. 
Dr. Barton, of Philadelphia, a great student of languages, said 
‘¢ He thought himself justified to conclude that the original popu- 
lation of America came from Asia.” 
Du Ponceau stated that the American languages were rich in 
words, and in grammatical forms, and that order and method 
prevail. 
Also that the forms differ essentially from those of the ancient 
and modern languages of the Eastern hemisphere. 
When Eliot wished to find the Indian word ‘‘kneel,” he was forced 
to make a word of eleven (11) syllables. All their languages are 
of long compounded words—z. ¢., synthetic languages. 
Many grammars have been written of our various tribes—among 
them I would mention that of the Massachusetts, by Eliot, where 
we find they have all of the nine parts of speech, and various gram- 
matical forms. 
In some parts of North America certain words are used by men 
and others by women for the same things. Acosta relates that 
