institutions and existing folk-lore, of how far the latter may enable us to recover prehistoric phases of the former, was definitely raised, and suggestions were thrown out that cannot fail to stimulate research and open up new lines of inquiry. The Literary Committee deems itself fortunate in having secured the aid of a distinguished Indian civil servant in the elucidation of these questions; it trusts that Mr. Tupper's example may bear good fruit, and that at the next Congress many papers will be forthcoming upon the legal and social customs of the less advanced races. It is, indeed, in the department of Institutions, at once less worked at and perhaps more capable of allowing definite conclusions to be reached than in those of folk-belief and folk-fancy, that the most important contributions to knowledge may be looked for from the science of folk-lore. It is with legitimate pride that the organisers of the second International Folk-lore Congress claim to have clearly recognised this fact, and to have endeavoured to give it due prominence in the proceedings of the Congress.
The papers are printed as revised by the authors, and it is of course understood that the latter accept full responsibility for them. Mr. Alfred Nutt's paper has been written since the Congress, but it reproduces faithfully the one delivered there vivâ voce. The discussion on the various papers has been given, with slight curtailment, verbatim. Exigencies of time forbade discussion on certain papers, whilst others had to be taken as read. The editors are alone to blame for this, their efforts to lay a full programme before the Congress being only too successful.
The delay in the production of this volume will not be thought excessive when it is recollected that the authors of papers come literally from all parts of the world.
