38 THE ORIGIN OF ANIMAL-WORSHIP. 



ing will in most cases commence afresh in eacli generation 

 must do so, indeed, until surnames of some kind have 

 been established. I say in most cases, because there will 

 occur exceptions in the cases of men who have distin 

 guished themselves. If &quot; the Wolf,&quot; proving famous in 

 fight, becomes a terror to neighboring tribes, and a domi 

 nant man in his own, his sons, proud of their parentage, 

 will not let fall the fact that they descended from the 

 Wolf; nor will this fact be forgotten by the rest of the 

 tribe who held &quot; the Wolf&quot; in awe, and see some reason 

 to dread his sons. In proportion to the power and celeb 

 rity of the Wolf will this pride and this fear conspire to 

 maintain among his grandchildren and great-grandchil 

 dren, as well as among those over whom they dominate, 

 the remembrance of the fact that their ancestor was the 

 Wolf. And if, as will occasionally happen, this dominant 

 family becomes the root of a new tribe, the members of 

 this tribe will become known to themselves and others as 

 the Wolves. 



We need not rest satisfied with the inference that this 

 inheritance of nicknames will take place : there is proof 

 that it does take place. As nicknaming after animals, 

 plants, and other objects, still goes on among ourselves, so 

 among ourselves does there go on the descent of nicknames. 

 An instance has come under my own notice on an estate 

 in the West Highlands, belonging to some friends with 

 whom I frequently have the pleasure of spending a few 

 weeks in the autumn. &quot; Take a young Croshek,&quot; has 

 more than once been the reply of my host to the inquiry, 

 who should go with me when I was setting out salmon- 

 fishing. The elder Croshek I knew well ; and supposed 

 that this name, borne by him and by all belonging to him, 

 was the family surname. Some years passed before I 

 learned that the real surname was Cameron ; that the 



