_Source._--I have concocted this English, or rather Scotch, Cinderella
from the various versions given in Miss Cox's remarkable collection of
345 variants of _Cinderella_ (Folk-Lore Society, 1892); see _Parallels_
for an enumeration of those occurring in the British Isles. I have used
Nos. 1-3, 8-10. I give my composite the title "Rushen Coatie," to
differentiate it from any of the Scotch variants, and for the purposes
of a folk-lore experiment. If this book becomes generally used among
English-speaking peoples, it may possibly re-introduce this and other
tales among the folk. We should be able to trace this re-introduction
by the variation in titles. I have done the same with "Nix Nought
Nothing," "Molly Whuppie," and "Johnny Gloke."
_Parallels._--Miss Cox's volume gives no less than 113 variants of the
pure type of Cinderella--her type A. "Cinderella, or the Fortunate
Marriage of a Despised Scullery-maid by Aid of an _Animal_ God-mother
through the Test of a Slipper"--such might be the explanatory title of a
chap-book dealing with the pure type of Cinderella. This is represented
in Miss Cox's book, so far as the British Isles are concerned, by no
less than seven variants, as follows: (1) Dr. Blind, in _Archæological
Review_, iii., 24-7, "Ashpitell" (from neighbourhood of Glasgow). (2) A.
Lang, in _Revue Celtique_, t. iii., reprinted in _Folk-Lore_, September,
1890, "Rashin Coatie" (from Morayshire). (3) Mr. Gregor, in _Folk-Lore
Journal_, ii., 72-4 (from Aberdeenshire), "The Red Calf"--all these in
Lowland Scots. (4) Campbell, _Popular Tales_, No. xliii., ii., 286
_seq._, "The Sharp Grey Sheep." (5) Mr. Sinclair, in _Celtic Mag._,
xiii., 454-65, "Snow-white Maiden." (6) Mr. Macleod's variant
communicated through Mr. Nutt to Miss Cox's volume, p. 533; and (7)
Curtin, _Myths of Ireland_, pp. 78-92. "Fair, Brown, and
Trembling"--these four in Gaelic, the last in Erse. To these I would add
(8, 9) Chambers's two versions in _Pop. Rhymes of Scotland_, pp. 66-8,
"Rashie Coat," though Miss Cox assimilates them to Type B. Catskin; and
(10) a variant of Dr. Blind's version, unknown to Miss Cox, but given in
7 _Notes and Queries_, x., 463 (Dumbartonshire). Mr. Clouston has
remarks on the raven as omen-bird in his notes to Mrs. Saxby's _Birds of
Omen in Shetland_ (privately printed, 1893).