For stealing eggs from under bird, see Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 57–58. Bolte-Polívka’s notes on Grimm, No. 192, include a discussion of both the “Master Thief” cycle (3 : 379–395) and the Rhampsinitus “Treasure-House” saga (3 : 395–406). Two Sinhalese variants of the latter cycle, lacking in Bolte-Polívka’s bibliography, are Parker’s No. 189 and variant (3 : 41–46). Here the thieves are father and son; son cuts off father’s head to prevent identification. The stories end with the exposure of the body and the escape of the son, who falls from a tree when his mother bursts into laments at the sight of her husband’s corpse.
Four American Indian versions of the “Master Thief” are analyzed by Thompson (427–429),—Maliseet, Dakota, Thompson River, Wyandot.
A Oaxaca version of the “Master Thief” is given in Radin-Espinosa, 226–227 (No. 116): it preserves a number of features of the Rhampsinitus story. Likewise a New-Mexican Spanish tale (JAFL 24 : 423–424), in which, after preliminary skill-tests, the two thieves rob the king. The Mexican thief is caught; the Spanish thief cuts off his head. The corpse, by order of the king, is carried through town, and the house of the mourner is marked with blood. The Spanish thief escapes by marking all the houses with blood. (For the bibliography of marking all the house-doors with chalk to prevent discovery, see Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 145, note.)
[9].
Page 78. Not counting self. This incident occurs in a Sinhalese story (Parker, 1 : 258, No. 44). (See ibid., 259, for three variants from India and one from China.) Comparative bibliography of this motif is given in Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 149 (note 1).
Page 78. Killing fly on face. Sinhalese (Parker, 1 : 319–321, No. 58): The stupid hero strikes with a rice-pestle at a fly on his mother’s head, and kills her. Wyandot (Thompson, 423): The numskull hero hits the head of a sleeping child to kill mosquito, and kills child. Ojibwa (Laidlaw, 63): Flies on baby’s head “killed” with rubber boot.
[10].
Page 87. Add to the bibliography of the “Magic Ring” cycle three American forms of the story,—French-Canadian, Micmac, and Maliseet (analyzed by Thompson, 398–399).
An interesting Sinhalese version is Parker’s No. 208 (3 : 127–131). Here a lazy prince buys a cobra, parrot, and cat. From the snake-king he receives a ring by means of which he can create anything he wants. He creates a palace and a princess. The princess and ring are stolen by an old woman acting as agent for a king who came to know of the beautiful princess (hair floating down-stream). Through the aid of his faithful animals, especially the cat, which coerces the king of the rats, the hero recovers his wife and magic object. (See also Parker’s extensive notes [131–135] for other Oriental versions.)
[11].