Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/476

 128 yournal of A merican Folk-Lore.

Lake Clear near Paul Smith's is Wdsdbdgdk, lit. ' clear liquid,' from wasa + bdgd + loc. k. Wdsd is descriptive of light of any kind, cf. ■wdsdnmogdn, 'candle, lamp.' The ending -bdgd is an adjectival and verbal suffix used only of liquids ; thus, mkdzdwbdgd, ' it is black ' (used of ink or water).

Finally, Black Lake, M'kazawi nepes, Cranberry Lake, Popokud nepes, and Blue Mountain Lake, Wilowi wdjoi nepes, are perfectly plain and require no comment.

It should be remarked in this connection that in all these latter cases the names are so descriptive of natural features that they might easily have arisen independently and simultaneously both in Indian and English.

It may be interesting to note that the Mohawk name Ne-ha-se-ne, applied to a large preserve not far from Little Tupper Lake, means ' that is so ; ' ' cest bien ca,' and has no connection with the word ' beaver,' as is popularly supposed (so Forbes).

J. Dyneley Prince.

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