POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



713 



the guests. Of course, there is nothing com- 

 pulsory in the custom, and no one is bound 

 to answer the call in case he does not like to 

 do so. On the other hand, the party bene- 

 fited is under an obligation to appear at the 

 call of those who participated in the pdmoch. 

 This custom does not play as conspicuous a 

 part as in former days, when rural settle- 

 ments were scattered clearings in the forests, 

 and pioneer work was constantly needed. 

 Still, even then it was only a social revival, 

 hinting at a preceding epoch of closer com- 

 munistic co-operation, and at the same time 

 pointing out the existing severance between 

 the households of which the community was 

 formed. The Russian family is not identical 

 with the Roman family, in which the pater- 

 familias was absolute master, or of any of 

 its derivatives. It is a union of individuals 

 having their individual rights recognized by 

 the law, though sometimes not without cer- 

 tain limitations in favor of the head of the 

 family. It is a perfect communistic com- 

 monwealth. All the movables belonging to 

 the household, as well as its whole income, 

 constitute the collective property of the 

 family, but not of its head. The old Rus- 

 sian family resembled a community even in 

 the number of its members. One described 

 by Mr. Krasnoperoff numbered ninety-nine 

 members, and was composed of a grand- 

 mother with her children and married grand- 

 children, all of whom were living together 

 and working for their own common benefit. 

 Such households, exceptions now, were uni- 

 versal in the past. Thus ownership of land 

 by the community without, and complete 

 communism within the family, were the 

 fundamental elements in the structure of 

 the village at the dawn of Russian history. 



Chinese " Letter Shops." According to 

 the United States consul at Fu Chau, the 

 Chinese Government has not yet established 

 any post offices or postal system for the 

 masses of the people ; yet communication is 

 easy between the people in all parts of the 

 empire through private enterprise, which 

 has established what are called " letter 

 shops." Official dispatches are carried by 

 couriers, at a rate so rapid, in cases of emer- 

 gency, as from two hundred to two hundred 

 and fifty miles a day. These official couriers 

 are not allowed to convey private dispatches. 



At the treaty ports " letter shops " are used 

 by the natives only ; but in the interior, or at 

 places not reached by the foreign postal ar- 

 rangements, they are employed by foreigners 

 as well, chiefly by missionaries. All letters 

 and parcels to be sent may be registered and 

 insured. When given in at a " letter shop," 

 the contents of the envelope are displayed 

 before it is sealed up, and stamped with the 

 " chop " of the shop. Charges for the trans- 

 mission of valuables are made on a percent- 

 age of declared value, and, as with letters, 

 differ according to the distance to which the 

 package is to be carried. A receipt is given, 

 and the shopkeeper then becomes respon- 

 sible either for its safe delivery, with un- 

 broken " chop " or seal, at its destination, 

 or for its return to the sender. In some 

 parts of the empire about two thirds of the 

 expenses of transmission are paid by the 

 sender, while the remainder is collected from 

 the receiver ; thus the shop is secured against 

 entire loss from transient customers, and the 

 sender has some guarantee that his letter 

 will be carried with dispatch. There are 

 said to be nearly two hundred letter shops 

 in Shanghai, but in many remote villages 

 there are none. 



Protection of Birds' Eggs. A short dis- 

 cussion took place in the British Association 

 concerning the best method of protecting 

 birds' eggs. In presenting the report of the 

 committee on the subject, Dr. Vachell said 

 that, while everybody agreed that eggs should 

 be protected, serious differences of opinion 

 prevailed as to the way in which the object 

 should be reached. Some thought the tak- 

 ing of particular eggs in particular places 

 should be prevented at particular times of 

 the year. Against this, it had been found 

 impossible, on account of resemblances, to 

 prove in court the specific identity of many 

 kinds of eggs. It had therefore been sug- 

 gested, as a better plan, to protect the special 

 areas in which particular species were found 

 to be declining. The question was asked, 

 What was to be done with the little boy ten 

 years old who might be tempted to rob a 

 nest '? Was he to be sent to jail ? Mr. Wal- 

 ter found bird-nesting an intolerable nui- 

 sance, eggs being collected, not for scientific 

 purposes, but simply to ornament rooms. 

 Mr. M. S. Pemberry argued that many boys 



