Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/867

 79^ AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [S. S., I, 18

ally coexists with the second form or that where words are used, complex example of this type of prayer occurs in the Winter Solsti ceremony at Walpi, Arizona, when a man personating a bird and repi sen ting the sun goes to a pile of earth in the kiva and throws into small sticks or darts symbolizing sunbeams or other fertilizing agencii This act is a prayer to the sun to fertilize the earth. In a less compl cated form of the same type of prayer the priest simply sprinkles wat on rain-cloud symbols when he wishes rain ; or, in the simplest of a symbols of objects desired, or even the objects themselves, are di played on an altar, which accounts for the rain-cloud symbols, tl efficacy of water animals, water plants, sea-shells, any and every thii which would suggest to the " gods " the greatest desire of an agricu tural people in an arid environment. The stone, clay, and woodf effigies of domestic or other animals in the Winter Solstice altars a used in prayers, and are not regarded by the Hopi as votive offering but represent what the worshiper prays for, and he ties his praye feather to them to show what he wants. It appears from Dr Hein article that the iron figurines he describes have similar uses.

J. Walter Fewk.es. Archeological Contributions — Under the auspices of tb Archaeological Institute of America, a meeting will be held for tb reading and discussion of archeological papers in New Haven on D« cember 27, 38, and 20 next. Prof. Charles Eliot Norton will give tb opening address on Wednesday evening, December 27. The presenc with papers of a goodly number of distinguished classical archeologisi is assured, and several executive officers of American museums will b present. The executive committee of the Institute desires, howeve that the scope of the meeting be as broad as that of the constitutio of the Institute, and particularly hopes that the department of America archeology may be well represented. Communications on the subjei may be addressed to Prof. Thomas Day Seymour, Yale University.

MINOR NOTES Readers of the Brighton (England) Herald are fortunate in bein kept advised of scientific progress through frequent contributions froi a judicious student known in America both personally and through h< writings — Miss Agnes Crane. The issue for August 19 contains tw columns of anthropologic notes, taken from American Anthropotogi (n. s.), Science, Popular Science Monthly, Annals of Iowa, Bulletin c the Free Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, and various separal publications. The " Notes " begin with an appreciative obituary t

�� �