176 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [n. s., i, 1899
in whose tongue they occur ; but in his assertion that the Guetares were " a mixture of many stocks," he is in direct conflict with the linguistic evidence. They were, as I have shown, pure members of the Tala- mancan stock. '
The social relations of the Bribri are matriarchal. The children be- long to the totem of the mother, and the most valued possessions of a man pass at his death to the eldest son of his eldest sister, or to his sisters. Stringent rules prevail in reference to ceremonial uncleanliness, especially in sexual relations.
A remarkable statement is made as to the acuteness of their sense of smell. Not only can they distinguish by it what kind of an animal has crossed their path, but, by the intensity of the odor, what time has elapsed since it went by.
The admirable presentation of the material in this book renews our sense of the loss of the learned editor, and encourages the hope that Professor Pittier will be incited to still further researches in this productive field. D. G. Brinton.
Introduction to the Study of North American Archceology. By Prof. Cyrus Thomas. Cincinnati : The Robert Clarke Company. 1898. 8°, xiv, 391 pp., 108 illustrations.
It is a bold writer who, in the present stage of the study of American archeology, ventures to monograph that subject, and it is a fortunate one who proves himself capable of compassing the field in a satisfactory man- ner. Professor Thomas does not take the full risk, however, since he omits South America from consideration and passes over physical an- thropology and the geological features of the subject. There is left the great body of antiquities of North America, which the author proceeds to present in a well condensed and lucid manner well suited to the pur- poses of an Introduction. Passing attention is given to tradition, lan- guage, folklore, mythology, customs, and craniology, since these branches are useful in illumining many of the obscure corners of pre- historic times ; but the monuments and minor art remains form the chief bases of the work. Admitting correctly that prehistoric arche- ology is yet in its infancy, he permits himself to say that this branch is not as yet a " true science," an expression that must be considered as unfortunate.. The difficulty with archeology as it stands today is not that it is unlike any other field of scientific research in character, but that it has been so often treated in an unscientific manner and by writers having little conception of scientific method. It is a science
1 Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, December, 1897.
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