In many branches of Ural-Altayic, investigations are far from being exhaustive. This is particularly true of the Tungus group, inasmuch as with the exception of one sub-division-Mandiu-little research has been done. So far even the classification of the Tungus languages and dialects remains a subject for controversy. In the standard work on Tungus ethnology, Social Organization of the Northern Tungus (Shanghai, 1929), by S. M. Sirokogorov, the languages are divided, in accordance with the author's hypothesis concerning Tungus migrations,' into a northern and a southern group. The southern group