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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 156 



pleteness, which would require far more profound 

 and exhaustive studies, and much more time, than 

 any one has yet found opportunity to give to it ; 

 but for the observations of the Messrs. Krause and 

 their predecessors in the same field it is nearly 

 exhaustive, and by far the most complete and 

 satisfactory account of these people anywhere to 

 be found. In the interest of our own students of 

 anthropology, it would seem that an English trans- 

 lation would be extremely useful. 



The volume opens with a sketch of the journey 

 made by the expedition, followed by an historical 

 resume of previous explorations. This is succeeded 

 by an account of the characteristics of the region 

 inhabited by the Tlinkit, a chapter on their his- 

 tory, nomenclature, clans, totemic and tribal rela- 

 tions, and the position of their chiefs. The fourth 

 chapter treats of their villages, houses, festivals, 

 seasonal migrations, the practice of labretifery, 

 native art (well-illustrated), and slave-holding. 

 Then comes an account of their domestic life and 

 customs, shamanism, and dances. A chapter is 

 devoted to the Haida and other adjacent tribes, 

 and another to the history of Russian and other 

 missions among them. Lastly, we have a review 

 of the language from a grammatical stand-point, 

 a vocabulary, a bibliography of the literature of 

 the whole topic, and an index. 



The work is carefully and thoroughly done, and 

 will be extremely useful and interesting to stu- 

 dents of American anthropology. Since the min- 

 ers and the missions, the navy and the mercantile 

 element, are introducing all the changes which 

 come with the van of civilization, it would be well, 

 if, with this volume for a starting-point, the rapidly 

 vanishing features of the Tlinkit culture could be 

 permanently and monographic-ally recorded before, 

 as in so many other cases, it is too late. Whatever 

 be done in this direction, we shall owe to Dr. 

 Krause and his brother a debt of gratitude for the 

 record which they have secured and made avail- 

 able, and to the society which made their investi- 

 gations possible. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



A mythical Danish island. — On Danish maps 

 near the east coast of the island of Bornholm, in 

 the Baltic, a little island may be found named 

 ( 'hristianso. This is an error, for there never has 

 been any such island there. It seems that about 

 twenty kilometres from Bornholm is a little group 

 of three islets, call Christiansholm, Frederiksholm. 

 and GrUsholm, where long since were some forti- 

 fications, now in ruins, called Christianso. How 

 this name bag been transferred to a mythical 

 islet on the coast of Bornholm is a mystery. 



A study of the Danube. — T. de Wogan has 

 recently made a canoe voyage on the Danube, 

 and has made a study of its sources. It appears 

 that the river has a total length of 2,840 kilo- 

 metres, and a total fall of 6T8 metres. The spring 

 in the garden of Prince Fiirstenberg, which has 

 long been considered the source of the river, and 

 is so entitled on a monument at the spot, which 

 has been adorned at great expense by the prince, 

 is only one of several springs in the same region, 

 either of which has an equal claim to be so con- 

 sidered. In the early part of its course, the river 

 loses much water through subterranean passages 

 reached by fissures in its bed. These have been 

 described by Dr. A. Knop, whose experiments 

 have been repeated with confirmatory results by 

 de Wogan. 



The condition of Borneo. — T. Burls has visited 

 the ancient capital of Borneo, the town of Bruni. 

 It is situated on a river with muddy banks, about 

 twelve miles from the sea. The houses are poor 

 and small : they are built on piles, and thatched 

 with palm-leaves. The sultan, alleged to be more 

 than a hundred years old, has recently married a 

 girl of fifteen, who is his one hundred and sixtieth 

 wife. His territory has been the seat of several 

 recent insurrections, which he has been powerless 

 to suppress ; and it is only a question of whether 

 the authorities of Sarawak or those of the North 

 Borneo company shall take possession of the re- 

 bellious districts. More than twenty British sub- 

 jects of Sarawak were recently killed by the rebels 

 on the Trusan River not far from Bruni. 



South American investigations. — Andre Bres- 

 son has recently published a statistical and geo- 

 graphical work on Bolivia. Manuel Uribe Angel 

 has just issued a work on the general geography 

 and history of the state of Antioquia, with maps 

 and twelve plates of antiquities, carvings, pottery, 

 and inscriptions of a date anterior to the Spanish 

 conquest. It contains very curious and important 

 ethnological and linguistic material, beside valu- 

 able geographical documents relating to the little- 

 known mountainous region traversed by the Rio 

 Cauca, and bounded by Bolivia and Tolima from 

 the Magdalena to the Atrato. 



Travels in Laos.— The explorations of Dr. Neis 

 in Laos during 1883-84 are recently published in 

 more detail than the original accounts gave. 

 Apart from their additions to cartography, they 

 contain interesting notes. On reaching the Nam-u 

 River, which he was the first to explore, some 

 singular caves were observed. One is in a peaked 

 hill, and is reached by steps cut in the rock. The 

 second, near by but at a greater height, is difficult 

 of access, but well repays a visit. The door with 

 which its entrance is furnished is hung between 



