684 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The most generally effective of these remedies seem appar- 

 ently to the authors in the book to be petroleum spraying and 

 draining. A very little petroleum, spreading itself in a minute 

 film over the water surface, will go a great way in destroying 

 the larva?. Drainage also promises to be very efficient. " It goes 

 even farther back than the larval stage, for it precludes the in- 

 cipient acts of the mosquito at propagation. It robs her of the 

 congenial nidus for the development of her eggs." The question 

 can, however, only be satisfactorily settled by a concerted move- 

 ment over wide tracts of land. " The arrest of the plague in one 

 portion of the country when the next section makes no effort to 

 suppress its own contingent can only lead to discouragement and 

 ridicule." Against the house-fly the most promising measure of 

 offense is the encouragement of the fungus that destroys it, which 

 is identical with the yeast-plant ; but, as flies seem to do as much 

 good as harm, it will probably be wisest to leave them alone. 



■4>» 



SLAVONIAN FAIRIES. 



By Dr. FEIEDEICH S. KEAUS. 



IN my studies in South-Slavic folk-lore, I have frequently come 

 in contact with the Vila superstition, but only recently under 

 conditions in which I could make a full investigation of it. The 

 native literature on the subject is immense, but so confused 

 and indefinite that an adequate examination of it would consti- 

 tute a very serious task. The only way to obtain a satisfactory 

 degree of knowledge in the matter seemed to be to sojourn at 

 places where the population was relatively pure, and become ac- 

 quainted with the living beliefs of the people. This I have done, 

 having resided at five places, and searched out their popular tra- 

 ditions as one would suck an orange. Especially with regard to 

 the Vilas have I got enough to make a book ; I shall here give 

 only a short chapter from it, including a part of what I learned in 

 the single village of Pleternica. This village lies at the foot of a 

 mountain on the right bank of the Orliava River, about three 

 hours from Brod on the Bosnian frontier. The present village is 

 not more than one hundred and thirty years old. In it the estates 

 lie scattered among the hills, each on an elevation by itself, and 

 each a fortified post. The people are engaged in farming, herd- 

 ing, and robbery. The practice of robbery is an inheritance from 

 Turkish times. A large part of the population, who had been 

 Mohammedan, had embraced Roman Catholicism in order to keep 

 their property. Some of the families still boast their Moham- 

 medan extraction. Many Catholics have recently come into the 



