in greater detail the effect of caste on religion, the growth of the principle of metempsychosis and pantheistic beliefs; to make it more evident that Buddhism and Jainism were not violent reforms enforced by agencies foreign to Hinduism; to explain why these movements arose in western Bengal, and why the impulse which led to the reformed neo-Brahmanism came from southern India. But this is only to say that such a line of treatment was not the immediate object of the writer, and was impossible under the general scheme of the series, and within the narrow limits assigned to him. In some cases the bibliographies might have been with advantage extended, and only one volume, that on Egypt, is provided with an index. On the whole this series of popular manuals will serve a useful purpose, if they do not encourage in the general reader the belief that each contains all that is worth knowing on the vast subject with which it deals, and if the study of them leads him to investigate the original literature to which they supply an adequate introduction.

W. CROOKE.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Volkskundliche Zeitschriftenschau für 1904, herausgegeben im Auftrage der hessischen Vereinigung für Volkskunde von L. DIETRICH. Leipzig: Teubner, 1907. Pp. 328.

THIS bibliography maintains the promise of its predecessor, and it says much for the Vereinigung that the lamented death of Prof. Strack has simply delayed the appearance of a single annual issue. The contents are classified into fifteen sections, plus one of addenda, according to the character of the periodical analysed. Then follow indexes of periodicals, books, and subjects. The volume is already large, and perhaps an index of authors is impossible, but one is certainly desirable.

The compte rendu of each article follows the title, and this arrangement makes it impossible either to glance through the

matter for consideration whether it would not be a more convenient plan to give a list of titles (with references) and add the "Referate," after the manner of the Botanisches Jahrbuch, under a separate heading; this would permit of a classification of the latter without compelling any alteration in the present classification by periodicals, reference from title to "Referat" being made by means of numbers.

N. W. THOMAS.

Transactions of the First Annual Congress of the European Theosophical Society, held at Amsterdam, 1904. Edited by JOHAN VAN MAUEN. Amsterdam, 1906. Second Congress, London, 1905. London, 1907. Third Congress, Paris, 1906. London, 1907.

UNLESS attention is specially called to these volumes, they may escape the notice of folklorists; but they, especially the later ones, deal with many subjects pertinent to Folklore study, and contain papers which should by no means be overlooked. Department B. includes the subjects of Religion, Mysticism, Myths and Legends, and Folklore; while several papers in the sections of Philosophy, Science and Art, bear upon various points more or less connected with folklore. The following are some of the most interesting and important papers from this point of view.

Trans. I., Amsterdam.

E. Weise, Fraternity as found in the Laws of Primitive Races. (Marriage-laws, taboo, totemism, etc.)

D. v. Hinlasper, Labbertav Kitab Tasaref. (A Dutch paper, relating to a curious Javanese philosophical work.)

Trans. II., London.

A. von Ulrich, The Religion of our Forefathers; The Mythology of Germany in the Light of Theosophy. (Deals chiefly with the

Trans. III., Paris.

George M. Doe, Some Folklore Gleanings, principally from Devonshire. (An important paper, including notes on Omens and Warnings, Charms and Incantations, Witchcraft, and Beliefs and Customs.)

A. von Ulrich, The Religion of our Forefathers in the Slavonic Race. (Some of the remains of old religious beliefs to be found among the Lithuanians, Russians, Bohemians and Poles, and the Wends and Prussians.)

M. U. Green, Some Notes on the Voyage of Bran, with special references to other Planes and States of Being. Ed. Bailly, Invocation aux Dieux Planétaires.

W. F. KIRBY.

Orkney and Shetland Old Lore, vol. i., 1907, and vol. ii., part i., January, 1908: together with Diplomatarium Orcadense et Hialtlandense. Collected and edited by ALFRED W. JOHNSTON, AMY JOHNSTON, and JÓN STEFÁNSSON. London: Printed at the King's Weigh House for the Viking Club.

THIS new venture of the Viking Club promises to be an excellent local-historical publication, of which the second section-the legal documents-especially should prove useful to historians. The only articles bearing on folklore in the first volume are an account of the ancient system of dividing seaweed (for use as manure) among the farms in Orkney (pp. 33, 34), the jingle-refrain of a spinning-song (p. 89), and an excellent translation of a legend from the Fljótsdæla Saga (pp. 72-77, 96-105), which relates the rescue by a young Icelandic hero, armed with a magic sword, of a maiden-the Earl of Shetland's daughter-from the cave of a giant in the face of a sea-cliff. The giant had cut steps in the rock to avoid wetting his feet. A correspondent asks (p. 120) whether giants usually objected to wet feet. Reference to County Folklore, vol. iii. (Orkney and Shetland), p. 260, would show him one in Shetland itself

Grimm (D. M., ed. 1843, pp. 499 sqq.) tells of a giant of Rügen who tried to dam up the Baltic that he might cross to Pomerania dry-shod. The Roman road over the moors in the North Riding, known as "Wade's Causeway," is said to have been made by the giant Wade for his wife's convenience in going to milk her cow (County Folklore, vol. ii., Yorkshire, p. 9). Whether any similar tradition attaches to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland is unknown to the present writer. But we may ask in turn, why is it assumed that this Perseus story must be a Celtic one? As well say it must be Phoenician.

It is, we believe, intended to give more attention to folklore in the current volume. The first number contains some miscellaneous folklore jottings from the notebooks of the Secretary, Mr. A. W. Johnston (p. 161), a version of the well-known story of the seal-wife (p. 173), and a full and first-hand account of Orkney Bonfires by Mr. Magnus Spence, who has himself taken part in these celebrations (p. 179). This last includes details worth noticing.

We wish the new venture of the Viking Club every success. EDITOR.

Books for Review should be addressed to

THE EDITOR OF Folk-Lore,

co DAVID NUTT,

57-59 LONG Acre, London.

Folk-Lore.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY.

VOL. XIX.]

JUNE, 1908.

[No. 2.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19th, 1908.

THE PRESIDENT (DR. GASTER) IN THE CHAIR.

THE minutes of the December Meeting were read and confirmed.

The election of Sir Lewis Tupper and the Rev. T. Lewis as members of the Society was announced.

The deaths of Mr. P. F. S. Amery, Mr. F. T. Elworthy, and Sir A. Baldwin, M.P., and the resignations of the Lady Edith Campbell and Mr. H. Ling Roth were also announced.

Dr. A. C. Haddon gave a lantern lecture on "The Morning Star Ceremony of the Pownee," and in the discussion which followed Mr. Calderon, Mr. N. W. Thomas, and the Chairman took part.

The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to Dr. Haddon for his lecture.