hallucination, on the mind of the person who perceives the wraith.  If this be so, or even if no explanation be offered, the truth of the stories of coincidental apparitions becomes important, as pointing to a new region of psychical inquiry.  Then the evidence of savages as to hallucinations of their own, coincident with the death of their absent friends, will confirm, quantum valeat, the evidence of many modern observers in all ranks of life, and all degrees of culture, from Lord Brougham to an old nurse.[5]

As to hallucinations coincident with the death of the person apparently seen, Mr. Tylor says:  ’Narratives of this class I can here only specify without arguing on them, they are abundantly in circulation.’[6] Now, the modern hallucinations themselves can scarcely, perhaps, be called ‘survivals from savagery,’ though the opinion that an hallucination of a person must be his ‘spirit’ is really such a survival.  It is with that opinion, with Animism in its hallucinatory origins, that Mr. Tylor is concerned, not with the hallucinations themselves or with the evidence for their veridical existence.

Mr. Tylor gives three anecdotes, narrated to him, in two cases, by the seers, of phantasms of the living beheld by them (and in one case by a companion also) when the real person was dying at a distance.  He adds:  ’My own view is that nothing but dreams and visions could have ever put into men’s minds such an idea as that of souls being ethereal images of bodies.’[7] The idea may be perfectly erroneous; but if the occurrence of such coincidental appearances as Mr. Tylor tells us about could be shown to be too frequent for mere chance to produce, then there would be a presumption in favour of some unknown faculties in our nature—­a proper theme for anthropology.

The hallucinations of which we hear most are those in which a person sees the phantom of another person, who, unknown to him, is in or near the hour of death.  Mr. Tylor, in addition to his three instances in civilised life, alludes to one in savage life, with references to other cases.[8] We turn to his savage instance, offering it at full length from the original.[9]

‘Among the Maoris’ (says Mr. Shortland) ’it is always ominous to see the figure of an absent person.  If the figure is very shadowy, and its face is not seen, death, although he may ere long be expected, has not seized his prey.  If the face of the absent person is seen, the omen forewarns the beholder that he is already dead.’

The following statement is from the mouth of an eyewitness: 

’A party of natives left their village, with the intention of being absent some time, on a pig-hunting expedition.  One night, while they were seated in the open air around a blazing fire, the figure of a relative who had been left ill at home was seen to approach.  The apparition appeared to two of the party only, and vanished immediately on their making an exclamation of surprise.  When they returned to the village they inquired for the sick man, and then learnt that he had died about the time he was said to have been seen.’