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Show TALE Or A COCKATOO. A Littlo Chapter on the Humors o( Indexing. There can bo no two opinions, sajs London lllack mid White, ns to the usefulness of a good index, hut It possible pos-sible to go to extremes even In this useful work. In one of Itussell Lowell's Low-ell's books there Is mi cxiellent exmu-plo exmu-plo of the too literal Indet, One entry reads ".IiidEo , his gieat mind," rioui this It would be niturnl to suppose sup-pose that the author mnkes some reference refer-ence to the superior Intelleitunl qualities quali-ties of the celebrated big-wig; hut no, tho subject this Indicated Is merely nn anecdote of a Judge who hud s lid that ho "had it great mind to commit the witness for contempt of court," Hut of nil Indexes suiely none can excel that of tho late I'rof. Mlvarfs "Oilgln of Human ltcason" for unnecessary Iteration. The most trivial passages nro leglstered with n persistency worthy of a better cause, tho illnmx being reached In the entries which re. fer to a story of it cockatoo In which the leurned author obviously did not believe. It occurs on page t36 of tho book, and Is separately Indexed under the following heads: Absurd Tale About a Cockatoo, 130. Anenlote, Absurd Que, About a Cockatoo. Cocka-too. JJC. Iinthos and a Cnrknton iv Discourse Held with a Coikltoo, IX Incredibly Absurd Tnlo of a Cockatoo, 13,. Invalid Cockatoo, Absurd Tolo About, 1J Mr. It nnd Tale About a Cockatoo, 13c 1'repnsieroi.B Talo About n Cockatoo, 11. CJutstlnn Ansneretl by n Cockatoo. IX tl , Mr,, and Talo About u Coikatoo, IM. |