CLXXVI ADMINISTRATIVE EEPORT [eth. ans. 20 



the trout dart from bank to bank in the brook and is amazed at 

 its magical j lowers, and from admiration he often proceeds to 

 adoration. He sees the serpent ghde over the rock, swift with- 

 out feet and having the sting of death in its raoutli; in this 

 respect it seems superior to man. He sees the chameleon 

 gliding along the boughs of trees in sport with rainbow hues, 

 and is delighted with its magical skill. He sees the eagle sail 

 from the cliff to the cloud region, at home in wonderland. He 

 sees the lion walk forth to conquer with occult majesty. Yes, 

 all the animal world is magical, and men are but degenerate 

 animals. Inspired with wonder, he is filled with adoration, and 

 the beasts are gods. The world is thus the home of men and 

 gods, and the gods are the beasts. 



A mvtli<)log}'lias sprung up with every primordial language. 

 These languages are found to be many — how many we do not 

 know, but certainly there have been many thousands, and with 

 every tongue a mythology has been developed. The tribes of 

 mankind scattered over the whole habitable earth between the 

 polar walls of ice, living in small clusters, every one having a 

 distinct language and pouring out the generations that have 

 peopled the earth, have created a host of imaginary or mythic 

 bodies. 



One of the methods of reasoning by means of which mon- 

 sters are ])roduced is imputing to one property that which is 

 due to another. Water is transparent and water reflects the 

 light. These two facts are universally observed in savagery. 

 It is something with which men are familiar as an experience 

 growing from day to day and from hour to liour. There is 

 another fact with which they are almost as well acquainted, 

 namely, that the eye is transparent, and also that it reflects 

 images. The eye is the organ of sight, aiad it is not strange 

 that the power of vision should be referred to transparency. 

 The reflection of light is an unknown and undreamed prop- 

 erty, but transparency is well known, and imag-es are well 

 known, and images appear in vision. Thus, with the Zuiii 

 Indians, as with many of the tribes in North America, the 

 property of transparency is esteemed as vision: all water sees, 

 and the dewdrop is the eye of the plant. It is long before it 



