40 THULE SUPPOSED BY NILSSON 



by their necromancy, and yet afraid to come in contact with 

 the magicians themselves. Thus "the Veddahs of Ceylon, 

 when they wanted arrows, used to bring some flesh in the 

 night, and hang it up in a smith's shop, also a leaf cut in 

 the form they will have their arrows made and hang by it ; 

 which if the smith do make according to their pattern, they 

 will requite and bring him more flesh/'* If our knowledge 

 of this peculiar mode of barter had been derived from the 

 Veddahs, it would undoubtedly have taken the form of the 

 old European myth. The metallurgists of old, to preserve 

 their monopoly, would evidently have a great interest in 

 keeping up this superstition. 



Sir Cornewall Lewis, in the second place, accuses Pytheas 

 of having described the sea round the Lipari islands as being 

 in a boiling state. But we do not know what his exact words 

 were, and cannot fairly judge him, for it makes a great 

 difference whether he was repeating a statement made to 

 him, or making one on his own authority. Moreover, we 

 must remember that there have been submarine eruptions 

 in the Mediterranean, and that the Lipari islands lie be- 

 tween Mount Etna and Vesuvius, in the very centre of an 

 active volcanic area. These two mountains, which for the 

 last two thousand years have been more or less frequently 

 in eruption, seem to have enjoyed a long period of rest, 

 during which the Lipari islands served as a vent. It seems 

 to me therefore highly probable that this statement made 



* Knox's Historical Relation of the 1'endroit sous le nom de Trous des 



Island Ceylon. London, 1681. Quoted Sottais. Us pretendent que jadis ces 



in the Ethnological Society's Trans., grottes servaient d'habitation a une 



vol. ii. p. 285, N.S. See also Sir J. E. espece huraaine d'une tres petite taille, 



Tennent's Ceylon, vol. i., p. 593. The Sottais, nains, pygmees, qui y vivaient 



Belgian form of the myth as related by de leur Industrie, et restauraient tout ce 



Schmerling (Ossements fossiles, vol. i., qu'on deposait pres des ouvertures, a 



p. 43) still more closely resembles the condition qve ran y ajoutut des vivres. 



account given by Knox. Speaking of En tres peu de temps ces effets etaient 



the caves near Liege, he says : " Ces repares, et remis a la mem place." 

 ouvertures sont connues des habitans de 



