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Show TALE OF A COCKATOO. A Little Chapter on the Humors of Indexing. There can be no two opinions, sa)s London Illnck and White, as to tho usefulness of a good Index, but It possible pos-sible to go to extremes even In this useful viork. In one of Ilussell Lowells Low-ells books there Is nn excellent example exam-ple ot the too literal Index. One entry reads, "ludge , his great mind." from this It would bo natural to suppose sup-pose that the author makes Bome refer-enec refer-enec to the superior Intellectual qualities quali-ties of tho celebrated hlg-wlg. but no, the subject this lndlctted Is merely an anecdote of a Judge who had said thnl he ' had a great mind to commit tho witness for contempt of court." Hut of all Indexes surely nrfne can excel that of the late Prof. Mlvnrt's 'Origin of Human ltcason" for unnecessary Iteration Tho most trivial passages lie registered with, a persistency worthy of a better cause, tho climax being reached In tho entries which re-fer re-fer to a story of n cockatoo In whlih the leuined auilior obviously did not believe It occurs on puge 13G of the book, nnd Is sepirntcly Indexed under the following heads Absurd Tule About a Cockatoo, Met Ann dote. Absurd One, About a Cockatoo Cocka-too lul, Ilnthos ind ii Coeknloo, 11 Discourse llel I with a Coeknloo M, lncrcdlbl) Absurd falo ut a Cockatoo, "invalid Cockatoo, Absurd lalo About, 130 Mr, It nnd Tale About n Cockatoo, 13,t I'rcpesterous Tolo About a Cockatoo Ul t)tiestlou Answer, d b) a Cockatoo, 131 II , Mr , and 'lulu About a Cuckutoo, 13d. |