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TRANSACTIONS OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY.

Vol. XXVL] SEPTEMBER, 1915. [No. III.

SOME ALGERIAN SUPERSTITIONS NOTED AMONG THE SHAWIA BERBERS OF THE AURES MOUNTAINS AND THEIR NOMAD NEIGHBOURS.

BY M. W. HILTON-SIMPSON.

The notes contained in this paper were obtained during two journeys in Eastern Algeria undertaken by my wife and myself in the early part of the years 191 3 and 1914, the main object of which was to study medicine and surgery among the Shawia Berbers of the Aures moun- tains, and to make a collection of the instruments used by their surgeons for the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford, The Aures, more properly pronounced Aoures, massif lies just to the north east of Biskra, forming a part of the rugged chain of barren hills which constitutes the northern boundary of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the gulf of Gabes, and its inhabitants are representatives of the Berber race who have retained m.ost of their physical character- istics despite the various waves of conquest which have spread over Algeria during the last two thousand years*

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