Note 13 — PREFACE.

Another class of infrequent occurrence in the Roman stories is that in which animals are prominent actors, other than those in which they are transformed men. The tátos, the enchanted horse which excites so great enthusiasm in the Hungarian, and whose counterpart does great wonders also in the Gaelic tales, seems to be absolutely unknown,13 as I think is also the class not uncommon in the Gaelic (e.g. ‘Tales of the West Highlands,’ i. 275 et seq.), also in the Russian Folklore, p. 338, of birds made to pronounce articulate words analogous in sound to their own cries.14 Such traditions would naturally find a hold rather among countrypeople than townspeople.