boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 713 



covered head in order to hide his long nose. Thrush asks her husband to get a salmon- 

 berry bush. She sings: leaves, flowers, and berries appear on the bush. Thunderbird 

 eats, and after this follows the game. 1 After he has been beaten, he is angry, sits 

 down on Thrush's blanket, and creates a gale, which breaks up the house and blows 

 away all the birds. Then he carries home Thrush Woman Co 5. 



The corresponding part of the StsEe'lis version is as follows: 



Eagle's son marries Xut (a small bird I. His uncle, Woodpecker, covets the woman. 

 When Eagle discovers this, he returns to his father. Woodpecker invites the people, 

 and the bird woman whom he had abducted dances and spits into a basket, which is 

 at once full of berries. Among the guests is Sockeye Salmon and his slave Thunder- 

 bird. The latter resolves to abduct Xut. Salmon lies down in the bow of his canoe. 

 Thunderbird stands in the stern. Xut goes into the water to give them traveling- 

 provisions. Thunderbird takes her abo'ard, and they carry her away Sts 5. 



In the Newettee version, as recorded in Ne 5, the story of the hoop 

 game is not connected with the abduction of the woman, and the 

 incident of the production of salmonberries by the woman's song is 

 omitted. Presumably this version is not as well told as the others. 

 It is, however, fuller in regard to the incidents relating to the recovery 

 of the woman. 



Thunderbird wants to abduct a woman, the Red-Winged Flicker. lie wishes her to 

 eave the house to ease herself, ami carries her away. The animals go to recover her. 

 Wren (?) suggests that they take her back when she is picking berries. Mink is sent 

 ahead to advise her. For joy on seeing him, she forgets to fill her basket. On the 

 following day, when she goes berry-picking again, she is carried away. Thunderbird 

 follows her, and wishes her to go out and get water. She goes out, and he carries her 

 away again. Wren ( ? i ad vises the animals to go to Thunderbird's house in the form of 

 trout (?). Thunderbird catches Flicker's husband, who has also the form of a trout, 

 and who later on succeeds in carrying back his wife. Thunderbird follows her, and 

 wishes her to come out to pick berries. He carries her off a third time. Then the 

 animals make a whale to kill the Thunderbird Ne 5. 



In the Kwakiutl version also a number of incidents are introduced 

 which precede the making of the whale. 



Woodpecker calls a council, and the animals resolve to make war on Thunderbird. 

 Wren invites them to borrow the Salmon masks and to enter the salmon weir of 

 Thunderbird. Mink goes to Spring Salmon to borrow the basket containing the 

 Salmon masks; but Mink unties it, and all the salmon jump out. 2 Spring Salmon 

 puts them back; and Mink takes the basket to Woodpecker, who is advised to put on a 

 mask of a little Silver Salmon and is told what to do. The animals all go in the form 

 of salmon, enter Thunderbird's salmon weir, and are caught. Thrush Woman goes 

 down with her husband, who clubs the salmon. Mink groans when being struck. 

 Thrush Woman takes the little Silver Salmon, who makes himself known to her. He 

 asks her to throw the intestines and the blood of the salmon into the sea. Thrush 

 Woman asks the salmon to let her see his true face, that she may believe him, and 

 he lifts his mask. The woman does as she is asked, and takes the bones, intestines, 

 and blood to the water. The salmon return to life and take her along K 10. 



In the Nootka version there are also a series of attempts to regain 

 the woman. 



Crane suggests that they make a fog, in which the fugitives are to lose their way. 

 They are unsuccessful in doing this. Next Woodpecker and Kwo'tiath are sent out as 



1 For other gambling-matches see p. 812, No. 22. ' See p. 715. 



