28 [6o] TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



with death, when they see fo^^s creeping along the ground, not 

 more than a man's height from the earth, which cause malarial 

 fevers. The females have made a song on this, which runs a& 



follows : 



Mbushant kaila t'hamu'la, 

 shitchdkta na'ts kaila, 

 shikuapkuka na'ts kaila. 



Or in English 



In the morning the Earth was clad in mist; 

 Incensed at us was the Earth, 

 For to kill us wanted the Earth. 



The Kalapuya Indians personify malarial fogs arising from 

 lakes, prairies, etc., in the shape of Amhiiluk, a terrible, irresisti- 

 ble monster, whose home is in the depths of a mountain lake near 

 their homes, in Northwestern Oregon. — A ridge of mountains 

 northwest of San Buenaventura, near the coast of California, is 

 called Alu-iiku, or ''earth that will eat up people." 



Whenever whole tribes or nations migrate to distant countries 

 with imperfect means of locomotion, epidemics or a high death- 

 rate are often observed to curtail their number, especially that of 

 the children. Even changes of climate are fruitful in producing 

 distemper during migrations. 



It is curious to notice, that, like our legend, the Iliad also be- 

 gins with the narrative of a plague sent to the camp of the Achae- 

 ans by the offended Apollon (Iliad i. 43-53), which lasted nine 

 days and destroyed many of their warriors and beasts of draft ;^ 

 cf. V, 53 : kvvYjfxap uku (vj(j. azpaxov <hyj.xo xrfKa dsolo. Apollon 

 is the personification of the sun-rays ; when in the height of sum- 

 mer they powerfully strike stagnant pools, or decaying matter, 

 hey develop epidemic fevers, and the darts (xZ/«) of the sun-god 

 become the missiles or messengers of death. 



"The childrex f)F those who returned eastward were also 

 EATEN UP BY THE Eakth." To this passage the German original 

 adds a note intended for localizing this occurrence : ''According 

 to the French Indians, there is a large city where a blue-lipped 

 people live, of whom they (the Creeks) have often heard it said, 

 that, if anybody tries to kill them, he becomes insane." The 

 French Indians were the Cha'hta and the tribes on the Lower 



