April 2, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



301 



study secured by these combined methods, it is to 

 be hoped that we soon shall be as well acquainted 

 with the surface-fauna off our coast as we now 

 are with the bottom-fauna. 



James E. Benedict, 

 Resident naturalist of the Albatross. 



EARTHQUAKE OBSERVATIONS. 



The occurrence of an earthquake, although not 

 such an uncommon event in this country as most 

 people suppose, rarely finds observers alert 

 enough to make observations which, when sifted 

 of hearsay and ambiguity, contain facts of much 

 value to science either as to quantity or quality. 

 As a guide to the information desired, it would be 

 well to bear in mind the list of questions adopted 

 in the circular to be issued by the U. S. geological 

 survey, as follows : — 



1. Was an earthquake shock felt at your place 

 on the day of , 18 ? (A negative an- 

 swer is as important as an affirmative one.) 



2. At what hour, minute, and second of stand- 

 ard time was it felt ? 



3. How long did its perceptible motion con- 

 tinue ? 



4. Was it accompanied by any unusual noise ? 

 If so, describe it. - 



5. Was more than one shock felt ? If so, how 

 many ? 



6. Which of the following measures of intensity 

 would best describe what happened in your 

 vicinity? No. 1. Very light, noticed by a few 

 persons, not generally felt ; No. 2. Light, felt by 

 the majority of persons, rattling windows and 

 crockery ; No. 8. Moderate, sufficient to set sus- 

 pended objects, chandeliers, etc., swinging or to 

 overthrow light objects ; No. 4. Strong, sufficient 

 to crack the plaster in houses or to throw down 

 some bricks from chimneys ; No. 5. Severe, over- 

 throwing chhnneys, and injuring the walls of 

 houses. 



7. Do you know of any other cause for what 

 happened than an earthquake ? 



This list was proposed by Capt. C. E. Dutton, 

 in charge of the division of volcanic geology, with 

 the advice of Profs. C. G. Rockwood," T. C. 

 Mendenhall, W. M. Davis, and H. M. Paul. A 

 negative answer to the first question, from an 

 observer near the disturbed region, is of course 

 valuable as showing the limits of the disturbance. 

 The second question, as to the time, is the most 

 important of all ; and an immediate comparison 

 of the time-piece used, with standard time at 

 the nearest railway-station or elsewhere, is par- 

 ticularly desirable. 



Experiments are now being made as to the 

 best form of seismoscope for the use of selected 

 observers, while more refined observations with 

 seismograph and chronograph can of course only 

 be undertaken where there are special facilities, 

 as at regular observatories, etc. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



Uape Indians of the Amazon. — W r e derive 

 from Henri Coudreau some interesting notes on 

 the ancient race of Amazonian Indians known as 

 the Uape. These people are generally below the 

 average height of Europeans, and their complexion 

 varies from light brown to something like a choco- 

 late tint. Then* hair is black and smooth ; with 

 rare exceptions, reddish or even blond. They 

 possess a personal odor almost as strong and dis- 

 agreeable as in some Africans, but which is not 

 due to want of cleanliness, as they bathe several 

 times a day. Though quiet in their manners, they 

 are very independent in their habits, and when 

 intoxicated, which often occurs, are insolent, vio- 

 lent, and cruel. They have religious and secular 

 festivals called respectively 'cachiri' and • dabu- 

 curi.' These consist chiefly of dancing and in- 

 dulgence in intoxicating preparations of coca, 

 wild hemp, and other herbs, and ceremonial 

 tobacco- smoking. The cachiri-drink is made in a 

 canoe-shaped wooden vessel, around which both 

 sexes dance in a sort of procession, each individual 

 putting his right hand on the shoulder of the per- 

 son preceding him. The line is led by the chief 

 singing, while the rest join in a refrain. They 

 are deceitful and perfidious, and do not hesitate to 

 use poison against ememies. The drug is extracted 

 from a species of arum, and, in small doses, pro- 

 duces death by anaemia and innutrition after a 

 month or two : strong doses produce immediate 

 insanity. Then food comprises game, fish, fruits, 

 and manioc-farina : they are very fond of several 

 sorts of large ants. Their houses are built of 

 wood, long, with a door at each end, thatched, 

 and accommodating as many as fifteen families 

 under one roof. They are generally duty and ill- 

 smeUing. The furniture consists of hammocks, 

 pottery, trunks of Brazilian manufacture, and a 

 variety of odds and ends, beside their weapons, 

 nets, and baskets. At one side is a small shed, 

 where the farina is cooked on a hearth. There is 

 often a small flotilla of canoes belonging to the in- 

 habitants. These people make excellent canoes, 

 some of which are large enough to seat thirty 

 people, and sell readily for a handsome price at 

 the Brazilian towns. The most singular of their 

 industries is that by which they obtain salt. A 

 plant grows in the district of Caruru, a stout herb 



