Evening star., 1924-07-27
Scout for Science Eudes Per IN Remote Section of CT

respects to that told in the Bible,
and include a description OF a great
flood. These books are in ancient
picture writing and antedate Buddhism
in China and Tibet.
The Nashti is one of about 80 alb
original non-Chinese tribes living in
the Province of Yunnan, and with
many of these tribes DR. Rock came
in contact. He was the only white
man on the National Geographic ex-
petition and had scores of Nashti as
sistans. Several of these acted as
the explorers interpreters.
This religious book. with it's story
of the creation and food, is about 10
inches long and three inches wide,
with red cover of painted design.
The pages OF manuscript, in the pc
culiar picture writing resembling
Egyptian hieroglyphics. tell of the
first man and first woman, of the Gre
alton of the land. oceans and rivers.
and other events Of the beginning of
the world
The books were handed down in
the tribe from generation to genera
ton, through the ages, DR.. Rock
says. Only the priests could read
them, and DR.. Rock had priest read
each section to his interpreter, who
in turn translated it into Chinese
which Dr. Rock himself wrote down.
The Nashti, or Moso tribe, has an
other form of writing, which appears
to be more advanced and which con-
tains some Chinese characters, but
the priest refused to read for DR..
Rock anything in this other writing.
Supplementing these old religious
books, DR.. Rock took hundreds of
photographs of weird religious and
tribal ceremonies and customs, so
that where little has heretofore been
known about these aboriginal peo-
pie, their life can now be visualized
to the world.
Until some go years ago, when the
Chinese for time invaded the terri
tory of the Nashti and neighborinS
| tribes, these aborigines had never
had contact with the rest of China,
according TO DR.. Rocks investga-
| tions.
He found the Nashti men and wom-
en- black haired, of brownish skin,
many of them rosy checked
Another interesting tribe was the
Lissos. whose women. especially, had
an extremely interesting scheme OF
| gala dress. Though related to the
| Chinese by ties of race, they are not
| properly Chinese, except politically.
| DR.. Rock found these tribes for the
1
| tribes of the Yunnan region still
practice their own ceremonial dances,
which have been forbidden by Chinese
authorities.
| The old picture-story of the crea-
tion will probably be placed in the
| Smithsonian Institution. which has
! also received hundreds of mammal
and bird specimens from DR.. Rock.
The stuffed bodies of two great
Chinese flying squirrels will shortly
be placed on exhibition. They meas
ure approximately 4 feet from tip to
tip. DR.. Rock obtained them in Tsch
Chung, Yunnan province. The fur of
these animals is thick and of rich.
brownish red hue that appears glossy
| in a powerful light Unusually long
claws and sharp, pointed teeth are
features of these specimens. The fly
ing squirrels frequently occasion fear
among the natives of Yunnan by their
| swift flight from tree TO tree, ac-
companied by a sound Of breaking
| branches.
| Curators at the National Museum
say that the flying squirrels belong
to Chinese species known as 'petau-
| iNe
and presentation of DR.. Rocks speci-
mems is looked upon as valuable
addition TO the collection of mammals.
lust as piece of black basalt
unlocked the annals of hidden
Egyptian centuries. so the corn ker-
nels sought by DIR. Rock on the
National Geographic Society expedi-
tion may reveal clues to Americans
who lived long years before Column
bus came, or even before denizenS of
Chaco Canyons giant communal
Impairment houses mysteriously disap-
peared
The facts that hold forth this ten
uous. but tenable hope are these /:
| Indian corn, or maize, is of undoubted
American origin. But Chinese rec
| ords show that corn was grown in
China before Columbus time. Marco
Polo did not mention it, but then, he
also overlooked tea, the Geographic
Society pioneer comments. Chinese
records, such as might today be
described as income tax returns, show
that long before 1892 tribute corn
was acceptable as the latter-day
tribute, silk. In fact. it was nick
named Imperial wheat"
The particular clue of which DR..
Rock was working for the National
Geographic Society is furnished by
the mystery of the waxy endosperm.
The tissue inside a grain of American
field corn contains starch; that of
sweet corn contains sugar. In few
places in China, western Yunnan
among them, this tissue is found to
| be waxy.
Hence Dr. Rock, as the Sherlock
Holmes Of botany, has been studying
! this variation. BY noting the locali-
ties where it appears he may be able
to trace the route by which 1t entered
China. 1t is conceivable he might
estimate how long 1t took product
as indigenous to America as the
potato to develop in it's new environ
ment.
The study of Chinese corn may
extend the corn-growing acreage in
the United States considerably. For
the waxy maize has characteristics
which seem to adapt it for regions
where droughts occur. Its erect Leaf
blades, their arrangement on one side
Of the stalk, and its production OF
| silks before the ears emerge com