[28] Van Gennep, in a very interesting chapter on “Initiatory Rites” (Chapter VI of his _Les Rites de Passage_), has divided puberty into two divisions,—_puberté physique_ and _puberté sociale_,—and has shown that the age variations of both are considerable. He insists that many writers have considerably obscured the points at issue by confusing the two. Van Gennep believes that the _puberté physique_ and _puberté sociale_ rarely fall together. It seems to me that this is not entirely borne out by the facts of the case; for it must be remembered that, accompanying the physiological changes at puberty, there are mental changes which in many cases permit an individual to become of active social importance; and while I think that it is this social activity that is emphasized by the initiatory rites, nevertheless the fact must not be overlooked that this social activity often coincides with the physiological puberty. We must, of course, not identify physiological puberty with any too definite a time, but allow for considerable fluctuations. [29] Schurtz, Altersklassen und Männerbünde, p. 376. [30] _Ibid._, p. 379. [31] Schurtz, Altersklassen und Männerbünde, pp. 378 ff. [32] _Ibid._, p. 379. [33] _Ibid._, pp. 386 ff. [34] _Ibid._, pp. 410–413. [35] _Ibid._, pp. 413–415. [36] _Ibid._, p. 415. [37] _Ibid._, pp. 430 ff. [38] _Ibid._, pp. 433–435. [39] _Ibid._, pp. 435–437. [40] Schurtz, Altersklassen und Männerbünde, p. 386. [41] _Ibid._, p. 410. [42] _Ibid._, p. 420. [43] _Ibid._, p. 422. [44] Schurtz, Altersklassen und Männerbünde, p. 416. [45] _Ibid._, p. 426. [46] Schurtz, Altersklassen und Männerbünde, p. 429. [47] Oral communication of Dr. Wissler. Transcriber’s Notes: - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - Blank pages have been removed. - In the section on types of ritual, (8) appears out of order, as in the original.