nderstood by the
Indian interrogated. This fact seemed to me to bring out a serious
defect in the use of the phonetic method, which may not be confined to
me alone. I doubt very much if the Indians could understand many of
the words in some of the vocabularies of other Indians which have been
published, if the words were pronounced as they are spelled. The
records of the phonograph, although of course sometimes faulty, are as
a general thing accurate. When I wrote out the Passamaquoddy words
given below, I was wholly ignorant of their meaning. I wrote them as I
heard them on the cylinder, placing at their side the English
equivalent. I then pronounced the word to an Indian, and he gave the
same English word which I had myself written from the phonograph:--

k't[=a]lgus (gin), _ear_.
Wee tin, _nose_.
Huek, _body_.
K'telob[=a]gen, _arms_.
Sq[)a]t, _fire_.
K't[=a]gen, _foot_.
Wittuk, _forehead_.
(Puks que nor w[=u]k), Pugorken, _blood_.
Tups kuk, _neck_.
Wusqu[=a]n, _elbow_.
Kort, _leg_.
Q[=u]tque, _knee_.
Wukum, _heel_.
Wus quout, _liver (heart)_.
Wee bee, _tooth_.
p'k[)u]tt, _smoke_.

The object of the above list is simply to show how nearly one can
obtain the sound of the word phonetically by the phonograph. It is
thought to illustrate a possible use of this instrument.

Vocabularies of Passamaquoddy words have been published, but as a
general thing they are very incomplete. Miss Abby Alger, of Boston,
has printed a short list of common words and phrases, and in Kilby's
"History of Eastport" the Passamaquoddy names of certain localities,
rivers, etc., are given.

It is probably impossible to get the same story in all its details
from two different Indians. The variations in incidents are very
numerous. Consequently the observer who follows me will undoubtedly
find a great difference between the tale as I give it and as he hears
it. That is to be expected, nor is it probable that these stories
admit of absolute accuracy as long as human memory is fallacious.
These stories are _membra dejecta_ of older ones, and, although lineal
descendants of ancient tales, are probably more or less modified or
changed.

The following are a few of the mythological characters which play a
part in many of the stories of the Passamaquoddies. They are all given
on one of the cylinders of the phonograph:--

_Leux._ Mischief-maker. In certain