FABLE AND FOLKLORE 227 



body accepts without suspicion or criticism. The He- 

 brews, for example, said that Adam, their "first man," 

 "gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and 

 to every beast of the field; . . . and whatsoever Adam 

 called every living creature that was the name thereof." 

 As to his reasons for giving this name to one creature 

 and another to that, it has been whimsically explained that 

 he called the raccoon that because "it looked like a 'coon' " 

 — quite as good a reason as the legend requires. 



Now the two questions at the beginning of this chapter 

 were, in fact, asked by a great variety of our aboriginal 

 Americans, the red Indians, and undoubtedly by the ab- 

 origines of most other countries ; but for the present let us 

 stick to North America. 



When some bright-witted, inquisitive Iroquois young- 

 ster, hearing and seeing many birds on a soft June morn- 

 ing, asked his mother how it happened that they wore 

 such a diversity of plumages, she told him this story: In 

 the beginning the birds were naked, but some of them be- 

 came ashamed, and cried for coverings. (In those days, 

 of course, birds talked with one another, and even with 

 the wiser sort of men.) They were told that their suits 

 were ready but were a long way off. At last the turkey- 

 buzzard was persuaded to go and get them. He had been 

 a clean bird, but during the long journey had to eat much 

 carrion and filth, hence his present nature. Guided by 

 the gods he reached the store of plumages, and selfishly 

 chose for himself the most beautifully colored dress, but 

 as he found he could not fly in it he was forced to take 

 his present one, which enables him to soar most grace- 

 fully. Finally he brought their varied suits to the other 

 birds. 



The Iroquois lad would be quite satisfied with this 



