BBTTH.] HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL. 77 



FORMATION OF THE TURTLE CLAN. 



The Turtle clan origiuated in a simple and straightforward fashion. 

 There were in early times many tortoises of the kind familiarly known 

 as mud turtles, inhabiting a small lake or pool. During a very hot 

 summer this pool became dry. The turtles thereupon set out on their 

 travels over the country to look for a new habitation. One of them, 

 who was particularly fat, suffered a good deal from this unaccustomed 

 exercise. After a time his shoulders became blistered under his shell 

 from the effect of his exertions in walking, and he, finally, by an extraor- 

 dinary effort, threw off his shell altogether. The process of transfor- 

 mation and development, thus commenced, went on, and in a short time 

 this fat and lazy turtle became a man, who was the progenitor of the 

 Turtle clan. 



HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL. 



The following was recounted to me on the "Six Nations Reserve" in 

 Canada, by Ka-an-er-wah, one of the few surviving grandchildren of 

 Brant, the Mohawk, and might be termed a modern Indian story. It 

 accounts for the tailless condition of the bear. 



A cunning fox saw a wagon load of fish and resorted to the following 

 ruse to obtain some of the coveted delicacy: Feigning to be dead, he 

 laid himself in the road by which the fisherman must pass, who, think- 

 ing the skin of the fox worth preser\ang, tossed him into his wagon 

 and drove on. After throwing out several fish, the fox slyly crawled 

 out himself. Soon he met a wolf who was informed of his good luck, 

 and advised to try the same experiment. The fisherman had, in the 

 mean time, discovered the trick, and the wolf received a good thrashing 

 instead of a fish dinner. 



The fox next met a bear who was also anxious to procure some fish. 

 »' Well," replied the fox, "down at the river you will find an airhole in 

 the ice; just put your tail down into it as I did and you can draw out 

 the fish as fast as you wish." The bear followed the directions carefully, 

 but, the weather being cold, instead of securing a fish his tail was frozen 



off. 



The bear was very angry and proposed to fight a duel with the fox. 

 The fox chose as his seconds a dog and a cat; the bear chose a hog, and 

 awaited the fox at the appointed hour. As the latter was late in ap- 

 pearing the bear clambered into a tree to prospect, and reported that 

 the fox was approaching with two men armed with guns. Thereupon 

 the hog, greatly frightened, begged to be covered with leaves. 



Having accomplished this, the bear returned to his post in the tree. 



