The idea of a southern origin of the Reindeer Tungus was first formulated long time ago. However, before the authropological evidence as to an admixture of type gamma (common among the Tungus) had been found among the Northern Chinese also several ethnographical indications analyzed, nobody ventured to suppose that the Reindeer Tungus' ancestors were so advanced into the south. The latest publication dealing with the problem of Tungus origin, so far as I know, belongs to Dr. B. Laufer (The Reindeer and its Domestication in Memoirs of the American Anthropological Association, Vol. IV, No. 2, 1917), I cannot agree with Dr. Laufer, who says that the Tungus are late immigrants in Siberia, while their original home is to be sought for in Manchuria. Many elements of the Tungus ethnographical complex show that the Tungus were previously living in a country with a very mild climate. Manchuria, however, even its southern part, cannot be considered as such. Thus, the country of Tungus origin must lie southward from Manchuria, i.e., in present China, Anthropological investigation has shown that type gamma, the commonest one among the Tungus, is also met with among the Northern and partly the Eastern Chinese. On the other hand, it is beyond any doubt that a Paleasiatic group lived in the territory of North China at a very late period, e.g., the Chow Dynasty and perhaps later, and their traces are also found among the Chinese. According to my hypothesis the Paleasiatic groups occupied the coastal region of China while the territory west from it was occupied by the pro-Tungus. Dr. Laufer's opinion as to the original Tungus' home is based upon Chinese annals which, according to this author, provide the material for establishing the history of Tungus in a full manner, and whence he concludes that the Tungus migrated from Manchuria during a relatively late period. If we limit this statement by saying that we mean the Southern Tungus, then it may be accepted. But it may be accepted only in the case if the analysis of those evidences permits to distinguish the Tungus from Paleasiatics, which does not seem to be very probable, for the Chinese leave but a few facts on which such a classification of groups may be based. On the other hand, Dr. Laufer intends to show that the domestication of the reindeer is also a late discovery made in the region of Lake Baikal and Northern Mongolia by Southern Samoyeds — the Soyots. Again the evidence is found by Dr. Laufer in an indication of Chinese chronicles on the reindeer recorded under the year 499 A.D. I cannot enter into details or criticise Dr. Laufer's hypothesis, nor give any very essential facts as to methods of reindeer-breeding, geographical distribution and so on, but in order to understand the relationship between Tungus groups some remarks are necessary. First of all it ought to be pointed out that the records of Chinese annals are certainly incomplete and disputable. So, for instance, the date of 499 A.D. if there were no other records perhaps lost or simply not yet read, is a date which shows: at that year the Chinese recorded the reindeer. No more! It is almost beyond any doubt that the Tungus came to Siberia without any reindeer and they probably borrowed it from the local population, along with the birch-bark wigwam and the whole complex, except perhaps clothing which happened to suit well to the purpose of the reindeer complex, as well as language and some social institutions. Such a borrowing, however, could be but a result of a long adaptation to a new environment as the reindeer complex is now one of the most essential elements of the Northern Tungus feature, especially with reference to the language. Another hypothesis which may be proposed is that the Tungus had discovered the reindeer breeding and adapted their original culture to it, invented the wigwam and the whole complex. I am inclined to adopt the first hypothesis for the local population must have already adapted itself to the condition of Siberia which, as we know, was populated during the late quaternary by some early population. This early population did surely know the reindeer, if not as a domesticated at least as a wild animal which might be easily domesticated. Let us add that Siberia provides the best condition for reindeer breeding, while the region around Lake Baikal, the Vitim and Manchurian Plateaus are regions where this animal is evidently in a state of decline and the groups that have migrated in these regions are little by little losing their reindeer. I may certify that the reindeer Tungus of the Vitim Plateau, who came in this region a long time ago, and those of the Manchurian Plateau, who came in the middle of the last century, do not use any lasso, which is absolutely useless, the animal being well domesticated, not tamed, as Dr. Laufer supposes. Thus the methods known among Soyots are not characteristic of them alone. It is also evident that besides the admixture of wild deer blood the reindeer's behaviour depends upon the number of reindeer in the herd, i.e., if they are numerous the reindeer is not accustomed to man, if they are not numerous, it may be better domesticated. Thus here is the same condition as in the case of the horse. The same evidence for proving the ancientness of reindeer breeding compared with cattle and horse breeding may be seen in the present geographical distribution of secondary elements of domestication, — saddle, harness, etc. Dr. Laufer categorically asserts that these elements have been borrowed by reindeer breeders from the south, — from cattle and horse breeders. Why not vice versa? I do not propose any hypothesis for the time being till archaeological and other evidences are gathered, but one may suppose that saddle, harness, etc., might be borrowed from the reindeer breeders who under a pressure of other groups went to the very limit of possible reindeer breeding in the Sayan Mountains, Vitim and Manchurian Plateaus. In the Sayan Mountains such a group might be the same southern Samoyed, ethnographically being a Palearctic group which was very well acquainted with this animal in the natural environment. It is evident that Dr. Laufer's theory is based upon a datum found in Chinese sources and little acquaintance of early Europeans with the reindeer-breeders. Meanwhile not all facts have been recorded by the Chinese, who beyond their empire, before the Han Dynasty, were familiar with a very limited area. The same may be referred to Europeans of the classical period. Let us now proceed to another kind of evidence shown by Dr. Laufer with reference to the Tungus migrations. It is very risky to trace the history of the Tungus referring to the Chinese sources who knew very little about Manchuria and practically speaking nothing about Siberia but a little fantastic and semi-fantastic information. The Tungus classification by the Chinese who did not distinguish the Southern Tungus from Paleasiatics and Northern Tungus is not a solid basis for any hypothesis, since the geographical distinction and distances between those groups are not clear at all. Owing to the difficulty of travelling in those parts of Asia the Chinese «li» might be much shorter than in China, which is well known to all travellers. One thing is evident, the distances indicated by the Chinese are very often exaggerated and in some cases undervalued. So for instance the present Yakutsk Gov. could never be reached even by the best equipped expeditions in such a short period as it may be suggested from the Chinese sources. The distinction, however, between the Southern and Northern Tungus dialects is certainly very ancient, so a common living together of the pro-Tungus ought to be referred to a date which could not be recorded by the Chinese. Moreover, Yakuts who migrated to Siberia broke off the communication between eastern and western Tungus of Siberia who have neverthless preserved the unity of their language, but formed several dialects. They were at that time reindeer-breeders and this faet took place nearer to 499 A. D. than to the appearing of the first Russian records. Yet the Negidals and Orochi, formerly reindeer breeders, appeared at the lower Amur River banks and region before the Goldi and Udehe, who originally belonged to the Northern Tungus group. As we have seen, the second Northern Tungus wave spread about the XIIth century A.D., thus the first one took place yet earlier than the second and this now shows some elements common and characteristic of the Reindeer Tungus. If it be so, the Southern and Northern Tungus were already long before the second Tungus migration, two distinct groups, the formation of which, as we know, must have taken a very long period of time. Moreover, I shall not be surprised if there is found later that my first wave was preceded by other ones. Thus, the Tungus lived a long time in Siberia as a group of reindeer-breeders entirely different from the Southern Tungus. It is evident that the Chinese sources dealing with Manchuria could not give any reliable data as to the history of the Northern Tungus. The pro-Tungus who went to Manchuria from China could not, of course, stay a long time in Manchuria which was then densely populated by Paleasiatic groups. They went through in order to reach a less populated Siberia, while a part of them remained in Manchuria and mixed up with the local population whence the Southern Tungus originated. The same may be referred to the reindeer breeding about which the Chinese sources could hardly tell more than about the Northern Tungus. Thus, I do not insist on any hypothesis as to the origin of the reindeer breeding, but it seems to me that Dr. Lauf er's theory as to the origin of this phenomenon and history of Tungus cannot explain anything in the early Tungus migrations southward and it cannot explain the presence of type gamma in Northern China. In many instances this theory is merely adapted to the Chinese information. Indeed only archaeology and anthropology combined with ethnographical and linguistical evidences may give us positive data for establishing the early history of reindeer-breeding and that of the Northern Reindeer Tungus.