Reviews. 391
shot on its own behalf, which, as like as not, may take effect on the more exposed parts of the other non-animistic party to the dispute with the animists. I cannot, however, here attempt to do justice to the very careful and cautious arguments whereby the rival positions are brought into juxtaposition, and to no small extent, I believe, harmonized ; but I would, perhaps for interested motives, call attention to the following connected theses of Signor Pettazzoni : — (i) "La mitogenesi e preanimistica ; preesiste all' animismo e lo trascende" (K. 228); (2) "gliavi delle credenze australiane hanno . . . origine preanimistica, in quanto sono essen- zialmente .. figure del mito"; (3) "I'essere supremo australiane sta . . con la categoria cui sta 1' eroe deificato con gli spiriti dei morti nella religione animistica. Appunto per ci5 1' essere supremo in Australia ha origini prettamente extra-animistiche, e quindi, preanimistiche " (p. 248). For the rest, I am sure that no reader of this book, whatever way he may lean in regard to these questions of ultimate theory, will derive anything but profit from a treatise conceived in so judicious and temperate a spirit.
R. R. Marett.
La Chanson populaire de l'Ile de Corse. Par Austin de Croze. Avec conclusion de M. Paul Fontana. Paris : Librairie Honore Champion, 191 1. i6mo, pp. xv+ 188.
The circumstances under which this book was compiled are of special interest, and an object lesson to folklorists. A French regiment was sent from Aix in Provence to Corsica in the year 1885. Although at first apprehensive of being greatly bored, certain kindred spirits in the regiment soon found much to sur- prise and interest them. These included various men whose names were afterwards known in literature, notably Jules Bois, Philippe Tonelli, Cantinelli, and others, and these founded a journal which lasted five months and the contents of which con- sisted largely of information gathered here and there in the island about its customs, traditions, superstitions, music, and so forth.
