STORIES 419

hers, which, with her supernatural power, she was able to do. She reluc-
tantly granted his request, and Raven became very proud of his splendid
locks.

Next year, when Raven caught sockeye salmon he obeyed his wife’s
instructions by carefully hanging the fish up to dry without removing the
heads. One day, however, his long hair became entangled with the teeth
of a drying salmon, and in a fit of anger he wrenched off its head, throwing
itoutside the door. His wife was so vexed and grieved that she cried and
cried until her face was swollen and Raven became frightened at her
continued lamentation. After he had left the house, Sockeye Salmon
told her sisters-in-law to make a fire and put on it all her personal pos-
sessions. She said that she intended to leave that night, and that the
smoke would animate her husband’s salmon, but not those caught by his
sisters. When it was dark she carried out her threat. She whistled, and
Raven’s fish came to life; then she ran to the river, raised the edge of the
water as if it had been a blanket and plunged beneath, followed by them.

Raven tried in vain to pursue, but lost both his wife and his salmon.

ANIMAL STORIES

Raven is more frequently endowed with human character-
istics to serve as the central figure in stories than any other
bird or mammal, but the following are examples of similar tales
centring around other figures.

MINK AND CAT-FISH®?

Once upon a time, long, long ago, before men and animals had grown
so unlike one another, Mink went to the home of a Cat-Fish woman, who
politely invited him to stay fora meal. When he had finished eating he
said to his hostess:

“Are you afraid of anything?”

“No,” she replied.

“Are you not afraid of Grizzly Bear?”

“No,” answered the woman again.

Mink repeated his question with regard to Wolf, Black Bear, Wol-
verine, Cougar, and all the other fierce animals, but Cat-Fish assured him
that she feared none of them. At length he asked:

“Are you afraid of Owl?’

“There are no true cat-fish in Bella Coola; the species so designated is

probably one of the sculpins.
He meant the western horned owl.