most curious introductions and endings are
those in De Nino, _Usi e Costumi abruzzesi_, vol. III. There is no
general formula, but each _fiaba_ has one of its own. Some are
meaningless jingles, but others are quite extensive poems on religious
subjects. Among these may be found legends of various saints, St.
Nicholas, p. 335, etc.

[13] An interesting article might be written on the Italian
story-tellers, generally illiterate women, from whose lips the stories
in the modern collections have been taken down. Some details may be
found in Pitre, vol. I. p. xvii. (repeated in Ralston's article in
_Fraser's Magazine_).

[14] Any attempt at an explanation of these facts would lead into the
vexed question of the origin and diffusion of popular tales in general.
We cannot refrain, however, from calling attention to a remark by
Nerucci in the preface to his _Nov. pop. montalesi_, p. v. He thinks
that the Italian popular tale will be found to have much the same origin
as the Italian popular poetry, that is, that very much is of a literary
origin which has usually been deemed popular. This is undoubtedly true
of many stories; but may not two versions of a given story, a popular
and a literary one, have had a source common to both? A very interesting
study might be made of the Italian popular tales in their relation to
literary versions which may be the originals.

The most valuable contributions to the question of the origin of Italian
popular tales are those by Pitre in the first volume of his _Fiabe_, pp.
xli.-cxlv., and in the same author's _Nov. pop. tosc._ pp. v.-xxxviii.

CHAPTER I.

FAIRY TALES.

[1] This story is a variant of Pitre, No. 17, _Marvizia_ (the name of
the heroine who was as small as a _marva_, the mallow plant), in which
the introduction is wanting. The heroine falls in love with a green bird
she sees in her garden, and goes in search of it. After many adventures,
she restores the bird to its former human shape and marries it. Other
Italian versions of the story in the text are: Sicilian, Pitre, No.
281, _Nuovo Saggio_, V.; Gonz., No. 15; Neapolitan, _Pent._ II. 9, V. 4;
Comp., No. 33 (from the Basilicata); Roman, Busk, p. 99; Tuscan, De
Gub., _Sto. Stefano_, No. 14; and Tyrolese, Schneller, No. 13.

An important trait in the above class is "Tasks set Wife." Besides in
the above stories, this trait is also found in those belonging to other
classes: see De Gub., _Sto. Stefano_, No. 2, and _Nov. fior.