ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION IN 1889. 679 



Anne dAuray in the northwest of Franco. These votive offerings may- 

 be of almost any kind, from a picture or an illuminated writing' down to 

 the crutches and canes which have been thrown away because their 

 need had ceased, the invalid having been cured by the miraculous 

 interposition of the particular saint. The commonest votive offering is 

 a representation of the particular part which had been effected and on 

 which the cure was made. The foot, the arm, the head, or the leg may be 

 reproduced in wax, in miniature, and suspended from the wall or framed 

 in and around the statue of the particular saint to which the cure is 

 ascribed. I have never counted the number thus exposed and do no 

 more than to guess at it from their appearance. I should say of those 

 thus exhibited at the Sainte Anne d'Auray, one thousand would be a 

 moderate estimate. The collection of M. Bonuemere contained a num- 

 ber of these votive offerings from Belgium. 



A favorite talisman in Brittany is a small key, cast or struck, and 

 made usually of cheap metal, as is the medals. These keys and medals 

 or charms represent the virtues of the different saints, and are sup- 

 posed to carry with them efficacy from his blessing. They are found 

 distributed throughout Brittany, and are for sale by the peddlers or 

 merchants at all the fairs and pardons in the province. The people 

 ascribe to each one key or medal its particular virtue. St. Eli and St. 

 Anthony are guardian saints of all animals; St. Comely is the guard- 

 ian saint of horned cattle. On the road from Quimperle to Pont Aven 

 is a spring of St. Eli, and every peasant who passes gives his cattle or 

 animals to drink of this spring. The church of St. Comely is at Car- 

 nac, and in the harvest moon of August the cattle are driven by their 

 owners to the churchyard and spring. They are decked with garlands 

 and flowers and beautiful greens, and it is a grand holiday, or rather 

 holinight. Cattle of the neighborhood, whenever sick or ailing, are 

 driven to the well or this spring. If not able to go, the water will be 

 carried to them. 



Of the medals and coins, of which I spoke a moment ago as beiug 

 sold throughout the country at the pardons, a particular one to be men- 

 tioned is that of St. Mathurin du Moncontour. It is in the form of a 

 cone, round at the summit, the top of which is surmounted by a head 

 with nimbus and terminates in a ring for suspension. It is in honor 

 of the saint, who is supposed to have great power and authority. His 

 chief virtue, however, would be regarded as that of self-denial, for it is 

 generally believed that he Aurait pu etre le bon Bleu s % il eut voulu 

 mats il a craint que cela peut-etre lui causat trop de tracas — might have 

 been God if he had so willed, but he feared it would cause too much of a 

 fracas. 



There is told, in the Bulletin of the Societe d Anthropologic at Paris, 

 a curious story of the cure of St. Brieuc, who distributed to the children 

 of the parish some of the round ivory chips or disks used as counters 

 for games of cards. These came in time to be regarded as amulets 



