atna, but when she was seven
years old she was taken to Calcutta, where she was brought up and
married. She and Dunkni are both Hindus.

Karim is a Muhammadan and was born at Lucknow. He says that "The
Mouse" and "The Wonderful Story" are both Lucknow tales.

The notes to this book were written by Mother, and Father helped her
to spell the Native names and words. He also made the Index.

Dr. George King helped us in the Botany; Mr. Tawney and Mr. Campbell
of Islay, who saw many of the stories in manuscript, have given us
several remarks. So has my uncle, John Boxwell.

M. S. H. STOKES.

CALCUTTA,
_March 24th, 1879_.

[Decoration]

INTRODUCTION.

In almost every part of Europe the tales current among the common
people have been of late years diligently sought out, and carefully
collected. Variants of them pour in profusely every year. But it does
not seem probable that any entirely new stories will be discovered in
any European land. Nor is it likely that in fresh variants of the
longer and apparently more artificial tales, any quite new incidents,
or even any unquestionably novel features, will be found. The harvest
has been abundant, its chief fruits are now stored, and the work which
is still going on among the gleaners, although in itself good and
praiseworthy, may be regarded without the excitement of eager hope.
The task of the present seems to be, not so much the garnering of
European folk-tales, as their comparison and elucidation, and, so far
as possible, their explanation. But in many cases they do not appear
to contain in themselves the ingredients which are necessary for their
resolution into their primary elements. Nor do the records of the
lands in which they exist always supply what is wanted. The "fairy
tales" of Europe throw very little light upon, are but slightly
illuminated by, the histories of the widely differing lands in which
they so closely resemble each other. And the most interesting among
them, those which appear most clearly to bear witness to their being
embodiments of mythological ideas, or expansions of moral precepts,
seem to be but little in keeping with what we know of the sentiments
and beliefs of the heathen ancestors of the villagers in whose
memories they have been for so many centuries retained. Among such
tales of this kind, for instance, as linger on in our own islands,
there is but little to be found which