326 THE MONTAGNAIS INDIANS AND THEIE FOLK-LOKE 



consequently say ntitamau for "sell," instead of 

 ntatauan. 



So exhaustive are the various forms of the Monta- 

 gnais verbs that one of the Jesuit missionaries, who was 

 an authority on the language, described it as consist- 

 ing almost exclusively of them. There are no less than 

 ten conjugations of these verbs. That to which any 

 particular one belongs is determined by the termina- 

 tion of not less than two of its inflected parts ; the 

 usual test being the relation between the first and 

 third persons singular of the present indicative. A 

 verb, for instance, of which the first and third persons 

 singular of the present indicative end in an and au re- 

 spectively, belongs to the first conjugation. 



The following diagram, prepared at rny request by 

 the Eev. Father Lemoine, author of a manuscript 

 Montagnais grammar and dictionary, shows the dis- 

 tinguishing features of the various conjugations : 



1 an- as j Shatshitan ............... I love. 



" ( Shatshitau ............... He loves. 



2. an-eu, as ......... \ Ashtuan .................. I extinguish 



( Ashtueu .................. He extinguishes. 



3. en-am, as... ..... ^ipelten .................. I govern. 



( Tipeltam ................. He governs. 



( Shaskieu .................. I light. 



4. en-im, as ......... ._. ... TT ,. , 



( Shasknin ................. He lights. 



( liinikashon, or -tin ..... 1 am called. 



5. on.oruu-0, as... j ,j inlkasho ................ Ho ; 3 ca] , ed 



6. iu-in, as .......... 



( Takushm ................. He arrives. 



. . ( Miloshin .................. I am handsome. 



. in lu, as .......... < _,., . TT . . , 



( Miloshiu .................. He is handsome. 



> . ( Ilinishin .................. I am clever. 



8. m-o, as ........... { T 



( Ilmisho .................. He is clever. 



