: she afterwards regains her human shape.

8. With Phulmati's last transformation compare the last that the
Bel-Princess goes through (p. 148 of this collection), and that of a
woman, who figures in a Dinajpur story published by Mr. G. H. Damant
in the _Indian Antiquary_ of April 5th, 1872, vol. I. p. 115. She,
though living in the Rakshas country, is not a Rakshas, but does not
appear to be an ordinary mortal, and when cut to bits by a certain
magic knife becomes a tree. "Her feet became a silver stem, her two
hands golden branches, her head ornaments were diamond leaves, all her
bracelets and bangles were pearly fruits, and her head was a peacock
dancing and playing in the branches." As soon as the magic knife is
thrown to the ground she regains her human form.

Eisenlaci in Stier's _Ungarische Sagen und Maerchen_ (pp. 107-109)
comes in the form of a horse to the twelve-headed dragon's house. He
is killed; the first two drops of his blood are thrown into the garden
and from them springs a tree with golden apples: the tree is cut
down, but the first two chips (which are flung into the pond) become a
gold fish: the gold fish turns into Eisenlaci himself in human form.

9. Winning a wife by seizing her dress while she bathes is an incident
common to fairy tales of many countries.

II.--THE POMEGRANATE KING.

1. Such is the story as told by Dunkni in 1876; at that time, when it
was read over to her, she said it was correct. On my asking her in
1878, when the story was going through the press, to explain some
points in it, such as why the children said they had been brought to
life _three_ times, the boy having only died twice, and the girl once,
she told me the following variation: After the attempt to get rid of
the boy by making him into a curry had failed, the Rani Sunkasi sent
for a sepoy and bade him carry the two children to the jungle and
there kill them; and as a proof of their death he was to bring her
their livers. Once in the jungle with the children, the sepoy had not
the heart to kill them; so he left them in it, and brought the livers
of two goats to Sunkasi Rani. She buried the livers in the garden and
was content; but some months later as she was walking (literally
"eating the air") in the jungle she saw her step-children playing
about; she returned to the palace, sent for the sepoy, and asked him
why he had not killed the children. "I did kill them," said the sepoy,
"and brought you their livers."