Show TALE OF A COCKATOO s 1 A L Little Chapter Chapt r on the Humors of Indexing There can can-be an be no two opinions says London Black and anti White as to the usefulness of a good index but it possible possible pos pos- sible to go go to extremes even in this useful usef l work In one of Russell Lowell Lowell Lowell's Lowells Low Low- ell ells ell's books there is an excellent example example exam exam- pie of the too literal index One entry reads Judge his great mind From this it would d' d be natural to suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose that the auth author l' l makes some reference reference reference refer refer- ence to the sup superior y intellectual qualities quaIl quaIl- ties of the celebrated wig big-wig but no no the subject this indicated is merely an anecdote of a Judge who rhad had said that he had a great mind to commit the witness for contempt of ot court But Butof But of all indexes surely none can excel that of the late Prof l Origin of H Human man Reason for unnecessary unnecessary iteration The most trivial passages are lre registered with a persistency worthy of a letter better cause the climax being reached in the entries which re refer refer refer re- re fer to toa a story of a cockatoo In which the learned author obviously did not believe It occurs on p page ge of the and is separately indexed under the heads Absurd Tale Tale About About a o Anecdote Absurd One About a Cockatoo Cockatoo Cocka- Cocka too Bathos and a Cockatoo t o Discourse t r Held with I a Cockatoo atoo Incredibly Absurd Tale of a Cockatoo Se i I Invalid Cockatoo Absurd Tale About Mr R. R R.- R. and Tale About a Cockatoo Preposterous Tale About a Cockatoo lIt lat Question Answered by a Cockatoo R R- R Mr 11 and nd Ta Tale About a Coc Cockatoo at 00 |