Mr. Edward B. Tylor, Oxford, suggests that the legend referred to may be that described in Falkner's account of the Moluches.
"They believe that their good deities made the world, and that they first created the Indians in their caves, gave them the lance, the bow and arrows, and the stone-bowls, to fight and hunt with, and then turned them out to shift for themselves. They imagine that the deities of the Spaniards did the same by them.... They have formed a belief that some of them after death return to their divine caverns," etc. (Falkner's Description of Patagonia and the adjoining parts of South America, etc., chap. v. pp. 114-5, by Thomas Falkner, Hereford, 1774.)
See also Edward B. Tylor's Early History of Mankind, p. 313.—ED.
NOTE C
(See p. [140])
For the following letters in reference to the "Muccawiss," I am indebted to Mr. Henry Reed,—son of the late Professor Reed of Philadelphia,—whose assistance in all matters relating to Wordsworth in America has been invaluable.
"NO. 400 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA,
"September 26th, 1883.
"MY DEAR MR. KNIGHT—Dr. Brinton tells me that Muccawiss is the Algonquin for whip-poor-will, and he will ascertain for me the precise spelling, and, if possible, the book from which W. W. probably got his information.—Yours sincerely, HENRY REED."
"115 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET,
"September 27th, 1883.