PREFACE. 
Y 
render it in harmony with preconceived ideas; owing to 
this and other causes, the imperfections of the anthropo¬ 
logical record surpass those of other sciences, and false 
theories are often built upon imperfect bases of induction. 
In attempting to trace the distribution of cognate arts 
and customs, the anthropologist is perpetually thwarted by 
the difficulty of distinguishing between positive and nega¬ 
tive evidence, i. e. between non-existence and non-recorded 
existence; so that, to use the words of Mr. E. B. Tylor, it is 
“ playing against the bank for a student to set up a claim to 
isolation for any art or custom, not knowing what evidence 
there may be against him buried in the ground or hidden 
in remote tribes/ 5 
The rapid extermination of savages at the present time, 
and the rapidity with which they are being reduced to 
the standard of European manners, renders it of urgent 
importance to correct these sources of error as soon as 
possible. 
It is hoped that the questions contained in the following 
sections, each of which is the result of special study of the 
subject treated, may be a means of enabling the traveller 
to collect information without prejudice arising from his 
individual bias. To this end it is particularly requested 
that he will endeavour to answer the questions as fully as 
possible, not confining himself to a detailed account of 
those things which exist, but also, by special inquiries 
directed to the subject, endeavouring to determine the 
non-existence of others to which attention is drawn. 
