228 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



and Physa fontinalis, also a few specimens of L. 

 palustris, Pisidium amnicmn and Planorbis nitidns. 

 Returning to the lane we found Helix pulchella and 

 Physa liypnorum, besides many other species already 

 mentioned. 



Coming to a broad ditch we again bring our 

 dredge into use, but only find two additional 

 species here, these being Limncea glabra and Planorbis 

 spirorbis. Of this latter we could have got any 

 number, the dredge coming up with the bottom 

 completely covered with them. It is remarkable 

 that the Planorbis contortus, generally common in 

 most localities, seems to be entirely absent here ; 

 after several years' careful search, we have failed 

 to come across it anywhere in this district. 



It was now getting time to look homewards, so 

 we returned to where we had left our bicycles, 

 and after fastening on our various boxes and other 

 implements we start off home, very well pleased 

 with the result of our ramble, having taken forty- 

 five species of shells, besides several varieties, and 

 a good addition to our botanical collection. 

 32, Woodbine Road, Burnley ; October, 1894. 



" SCIENTISTS,"— A PROTEST. 



TT is idle to ignore the fact that the use of a 

 most objectionable word, "scientist," is in- 

 creasing, and it is doubtful if any number of protests 

 will have effect on its discontinuance. 



Its application is not satisfactory, and is usually 

 the offspring of a paucity of erudition and expression 

 which comes of the modern system of cramming with 

 text-books and general hurry in education. Why 

 not speak of nomenclators as "nameists," of a 

 sempstress as a "sewist," or a conchologist as a 

 "shellist"? All these words may come into use 

 among "progressivists," but are equally abomin- 

 able and offensive with " scientists." 



The word was apparently first coined by 

 Whewell, in 1840, in "Philosophy of the Inductive 

 Sciences," and for some time past has frequently 

 appeared in paragraphs in various newspapers, but 

 it is only lately that one has found it in books of 

 any pretentious character. "Why cannot our friends 

 confine themselves to elegance in words ? There 

 is abundance of expression in our vocabulary. 

 Recently, when reviewing a book which was the 

 result of years of patient labour, I found the 

 opening paragraph and many subsequent pages 

 disfigured by this abomination. Why the author, 

 who really knows better, should have marred his 

 otherwise excellent work with such a " penny-a- 

 line" word one cannot imagine. Let me appeal 

 to our readers to avoid this word, which is only 

 suited to the pages of a slang dictionary. It is 

 just as easy to select words of elegance and correct- 

 ness as such mongrels as " scient-ists." 



John T. Carrington. 



COUNTRY LORE 



Indian Lore. — I presume your column for 

 country lore is not confined to Britain. During 

 a recent visit to Canada, I had an opportunity of 

 seeing somewhat of present Indian life, also ancient 

 remains, and of hearing many traditions. Most 

 of these point to the materialistic mind of the red 

 man and his profound belief in the spirit life, not 

 only of living creatures, but also of the inanimate 

 work of his own hands. This belief, which seems 

 to have been at some time general all over the 

 world, is a very fortunate one, as the useful and 

 ornamental articles found in the graves of long- 

 forgotten races are of the greatest value in teaching 

 us something of their ethnology. The red man's 

 belief in pan-spiritism is so great that when he 

 dreams of anything he must instantly possess the 

 object, or he thinks his spirit would leave his body 

 to fraternize with the spirit of what appeared 

 to him in his sleep. There is a legend among 

 the Ojibwa Indians, a reservation of which 

 nation we visited, that well illustrates this belief. 

 Gitchi Gauzini was a chief who lived on the shores 

 of Lake Superior. He was taken ill and after a 

 short illness appeared to be dead. Before his 

 death he desired that a favourite gun he possessed 

 should be buried with him, so that its spirit might 

 accompany him to happy hunting grounds. There 

 was some discussion among his friends as to 

 whether he really was dead, so his widow watched 

 at his side for four days, when he revived and told 

 his story. After death, he said, his spirit travelled 

 on the broad road of the dead, passing over great 

 plains, seeing beautiful groves and hearing the 

 songs of many birds, until he caught sight of the 

 country of the dead far away, partly hidden by mist, 

 and brilliant with glittering lakes and streams. He 

 saw herds of deer, moose and other game, which 

 without fear walked across his path. But he had 

 no gun, so remembering he had asked his friends to 

 put his gun in his grave, he turned back intending 

 to fetch it. As he returned he met several 

 men, women and children who were travelling 

 to the country of the dead. They were all heavily 

 laden, the men with guns, pipes, kettles, 

 meats and many other articles, the women were 

 carrying basket-work, and the little boys had small 

 ornamented clubs and bows and arrows. All were 

 complaining bitterly of having so much to carry, as 

 it delayed their arrival at the land of repose. One 

 much overburdened traveller pressed a gun on 

 Gitchi Gauzini which he refused, but travelled on 

 in search of his own. On arriving at the place 

 where he had died he could only see great flames 

 before and around him, barring his passage on every 

 side. Making a desperate effort he leapt through 

 them and awoke from his trance. Having told his 

 story, he warned the people around him not to bury 

 so many burdensome things in the graves of their 

 friends. Are the customs which remain among us, 

 of placing flowers on the breast of the dead when 

 in the coffin, or burying with them certain objects 

 much cherished in life, a remnant of this super- 

 stition ? — Flora Winstone, Epping, Essex; Nov., 1894. 



