ox THE ETHNOLQGICAL SURVEY OF CAXADA. 707 



little rodent is a veritable demon. They believe that its home is the 

 stomach of human beings, and that every person has one or more of them 

 in his stomach. If a person is bad-tempered, immoral, passionate, a liar, 

 thief, tfec, they attribute these qualities in him to the mice-demons in his 

 stomach. Again, if a person is taken ill, his father turns all his goods and 

 belongings out of doors ; he next proceeds to catch a mouse. Having 

 secured one, he puts it into a small box and gives it plenty of grease to 

 eat. He abstains himself from all food for three days. Each morninc he 

 takes the box and mouse down to the sea and drinks about a quart of salt 

 water He then returns and throws himself on his bed, places the box 

 containing the mouse under his pillow, and goes to sleep. He sleeps 

 throughout the day and following night, sentinels baing placed about the 

 house to prevent anyone from disturbing him or making a noise. In the 

 morning he rises, goes down to the beach, drinks his quart of salt water, 

 and returns to sleep till the following morning. He keeps this up for 

 three successive days. If during this while he imagines or dreams that 

 a person or spirit from the invisible world has appeared and revealed to 

 him the name of the individual responsible for his son's illness, he straight- 

 way rises and goes to this individual and charges him with the act, and 

 demands his reasons for attacking his son in this manner. If, however, 

 no vision or dream comes to him, after the third day has passed he takes 

 the mouse in his hand and goes into every house in the place, and holds 

 ■the mouse in front of each person until he is satisfied that he has found 

 the individual guilty of the offence. If the mouse nods its head twice 

 before anyone, it is to the Haidas plain proof that the culprit is revealed. 

 In the older days this person would be found dead in the woods a little 

 while after. 



If one of these harmless little creatures has scampered over any food 

 the Haidas would never think of eating it. They believe it is then im- 

 pregnated with poison. It is all thrown into a fire and consumed. 



Cloud Myth 



V the Haid 

 SQdtched away, and expect to see one of their number shortly die. 



"When the clouds hang low the Haidas believe that a soul is bein^ 



_,, 1-.,, O 



Transmigration of Soul. 



The Haidas believe in the transmigration of souls in this way : If, when 

 a person dies, the nearest female relative of the deceased is about to be 

 delivered of a child, the soul of the deceased will pass into the body of the 

 new-born infant and live again. 



^a" 



Specimens of Songs of the Ilaida. 

 Berry Song. 



"Whit squate, squate, whit squate squate 



A la whit, a la whit : 

 Kalunga olthe, kalunga olthe 

 Siamzi whe, siamzi whe whit. 

 The above is an invocation to a bird called the ' whit,' which is sup- 

 posed to ripen the berries. It is besought to bring many large and nicely 

 coloured ones. 



z z 2 



