Page:Transactions of the Second International Folk-Congress.djvu/96

60 There may be some doubt as to whether a New Zealand myth of a kindred character is to be considered as an off-shoot from the folk-tale of the Bird-wife; but that it is so seems to be indicated by its resemblance to the tale of Celebes, already mentioned.

There are several tales from the New World, which, though much modified, seem probably of the same origin; yet this conclusion cannot be regarded as certain, nor is it clear whether the tales are to be supposed to have reached American aborigines from Europe or Asia.

The first section of our tale, that which recites how a bird-maiden is captured, and ultimately recovers her feather-robe and returns to her own heavenly country, is widely diffused as a separate narration. It is not to be assumed that all these stories are derived from our longer tale by the suppression of the second portion; on the contrary, many of them seem to be independent, and to give only one of the elements out of which the later märchen has been formed. In some cases, however, it would