l!>lo] on The Pygmies of New Guinea 775 



a new uud unknown race of pygmies discovered, studied, measured, 

 and photograplied ; a range of mountains, containing the greatest 

 precipice in the world, together with three thousand square miles of 

 country, surveyed and mapped, new snow-mountains found, and 

 many great rivers explored ; and a long stretch of coastline surveyed. 

 "We had accomplished the longest cross-country journey ever under- 

 taken in Dutch New Gruinea — i.e. eleven marches from the up-river 

 camp —had proved the impossibility of the Mimika River as a line of 

 advance to the snows, and on the other hand the value of the great 

 rivers to the east if the same goal is intended. 



May, 11)13. Since writing the above, news has been received that 

 Dr. Wollastou, using the Utakwa River as his line of advance, has 

 succeeded in reaching the snows of Carstensz. His journey has been 

 completely successful, and the one failure of the pioneer expedition 

 has been rectified. 



[C. G. R.] 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, May 30, 1913. 



Sir James Crichton Browne, J.P. M.D. LL.D. F.R.S., 

 Treasurer and Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Owen Seaman, Esq., M.A. D.Litt., Honorary Fellow 

 of Clare College, Cambridge. 



Parody. 



[Synopsis.] 



Derivation. Parody, in its most elementary form, a verbal echo ; 

 yet often demanding great ingenuity, as shown in the work of some 

 of the greatest masters (Calverley, Hilton, J. K. Stephen). 



Reason for its popularity with young writers. Not to be always 

 explained by the joy of sacrilege, which does not enter into burlesques 

 of such originals as, for instance, " The Walrus and the Carpenter." 



Progressive stages of parody. Imitation (1) of an author's 

 subject-matter (Bret Harte's " Condensed Novels "), (2) of his 

 literary methods and attitude of mind as exhibited in (a) an isolated 

 example (Calverley's " The Cock and Bull," and Browning's " The 

 Ring and the Book "), and (b) in his work at large. Parody, in its 

 highest form, a department of pure literary criticism. 



Eccentricities are comparatively easy to imitate. To be able to 

 Vol. XX. (No. 107) 3 k 



