142 
stories told metaphorically or exaggeratively of real tribes of 
men 1 14. Are beast-fables told, i.e., stories of talking birds 
and beasts, and their adventures ? 15. Are any stories, 
allegories, or parables, told in order to teach some moral 
lesson ? 
16. Do any of the native stories contain episodes which 
seem as though they might have been learnt from modern 
Europeans, e.g ., mentions of guns or of writing, stories of 
devils with horns, fragments of HCsop’s fables, or other 
European notions, familiar Scripture-stories, &c. 1 17. Are 
there any similar touches wbicli betray contact with Moham¬ 
medans or Buddhists *2 18. Apart from these, are stories 
current which have a resemblance to well-known classical or 
folk-lore mythology, but may have a distinct or independent 
origin ? 19. Are there episodes which resemble ‘ Jack and 
the Beanstalk/ 6 Bed Biding Hood/ &c. 1 20. Are there 
traditions of a river of death, a bridge across the sky where 
souls pass, a universal deluge ? 21. Is there any legend 
current of the origin of Man, the introduction of language, 
houses, war, civilization ? 22. Are the gods of old time 
related to have come on earth and had dealings with man¬ 
kind ? 23. Do the legends of the people go back to a golden 
age or divine-human period, when wonders happened which 
have now ceased, and when the ancestors of men had know- 
powers and happiness now lost 1 
E. B. T. 
No. XXIX.—SUPERSTITIONS. 
Superstitions are customs and beliefs of an absurd or harm¬ 
ful kind. They often belong to the class of “ survivals/ 5 being 
old-fashioned habits and ideas retained after their original 
sense has vanished. But, especially among the lower races, 
they to a great extent still carry their original meaning and 
purpose, which may be ascertained best from the old people. 
When thoroughly analyzed, they can be referred to their proper 
heading, such as Magic, Beligion, Custom (Nos.* XXX., 
v 
