§ 2. We come now to cases where the name heard was probably not actually spoken. The fact that the impression so often takes the form of a call of the percipient's name might be connected with the fact that this is also the commonest form of purely subjective auditory hallucination; and might be taken as a fresh indication - parallel to the indications which have been noted in the visual class - that the telepathic phantasm, as a sensory phenomenon, truly belongs to the class of hallucinations. But it is in the very nature of this form of communication that it should strongly suggest - what in some instances is positively affirmed - a certain occupation of the agent's thoughts with the percipient. We have often independent reason to suppose a similar condition in the visual cases; but there is seldom anything in the visual phantasm of the agent to make it apparent. [Six cases are given, of which I select three as the best eviden-ially; 275, 276, 278 are omitted. - Ed].

The first case is from Mr. G. A. Witt, of Fontenay House, Grove Park, Denmark Hill, S.E.

"September 26th, 1885.

(273) "When I left Bombay, on March 1st, 1876, by ss. ' Persia,' for Naples, an elder brother of mine was living in Germany, and in very bad health, though I did not, at the time, anticipate his early death. When in the Red Sea one day, sitting on deck and reading the Saturday Review, with other passengers - and I think Mrs. Fagan also - sitting near me and reading, I fancied I heard my brother's voice calling me by my Christian name. It seemed so distinctly his voice, and I thought I heard my name so clearly called, that it quite startled me, and made such an impression on me that I mentioned it to some of my fellow-passengers, and at their suggestion took note of the hour and day it occurred.

"On arriving at Naples, some 12 or 14 days later, I found a letter there from my mother, bearing the same date as the one I had put down in the Red Sea, in which she told me that she was sitting writing by my brother's deathbed, etc., adding in a postscript the same day that he had just passed away.

"I never ascertained whether the hour I had put down was the same in which my poor brother had died, and now really all I remember is what I have just stated. "G. A.Witt".

In answer to inquiries, Mr. Witt says: -

"I was, at the time, not at all anxious about my brother; and the 'voice' at the time impressed me as very strange, as I really had not thought of him for some time. My brother died in Kiel, Holstein. The date was the 13th of March, 1876. This was the date of my brother's death; and I. remember that that was what caused me to mention the matter again to those whom I had told on board the steamer that I thought I had heard my brother's voice. I must repeat, however, that what I am stating now is from memory only, and the ' note ' I had made of the occurrence at the time no longer exists.

"It is also the only time that, as far as I remember, anything of the kind has happened to me." [This is in answer to the question whether he had experienced a hallucination of the senses on any other occasion].

Mrs. Fagan, of 26, Manchester Square, W., writes to us as follows: -

"August 28th, 1885.

"On board ship, coming from India, one morning I passed Mr. Witt, who was reading on deck. He stopped me and said that a strange thing had happened to him, and on my asking what it was, said that he had heard his brother's voice calling him," 'Gustave,' more than once (three times, I think, but am not sure). He added that he had heard, before leaving Bombay, that his brother was very seriously ill,1 and thinking that perhaps he was then dying, or just dead, he made a note of the date. I asked him to let me know afterwards if the brother really died about that time, and he said he would do so.

"On meeting him in London afterwards, I inquired if his conjecture had proved correct, and he said it had. I do not know whether the time when Mr. Witt heard the voice coincided exactly with the brother's death, as the difference in the local time made it difficult to decide that point without calculation; and I did not hear that any calculation was made. But the two events occurred at about the same time. Mr. Witt offers no explanation or opinion on the matter, only saying that it was very strange".

1 This of course was true, in a sense; but, in view of the possible suggestion that the hallucination was due to mere anxiety, it is important to notice that Mr. Witt had regarded his brother as a chronic invalid, and expressly affirms that, so far from being anxious about him, he had not even thought of him for some time.

We have procured, through the Burgermeister of Kiel, an official certificate of the death of Mr. John T. Witt, which shows that it occurred on March 13, 1876, at 9.30 p.m. Supposing therefore that Mr. G. A. Witt's experience was immediately mentioned by him, and that Mrs. Fagan is right in her recollection that this was in the morning, it must have preceded the death by a good many hours. If either of these suppositions is incorrect, the coincidence may have been closer.

The next account is from Mrs. Stella, of Chieri, Italy, who was the percipient in a visual case, No. 198 [not here reproduced].

" December 29th, 1883.

(274) "On the 22nd of May, 1882, I was sitting in my room working with other members of my family, and we were talking of household matters, when suddenly I heard the voice of my eldest son calling repeatedly 'Mamma.' I threw down my work exclaiming, ' There is Nino,' and went downstairs, to the astonishment of every one. Now my son was at that time in London, and had only left home about a fortnight before, for a two months' tour, so naturally we were all surprised to think he had arrived so suddenly. On reaching the hall, no one was there, and they all laughed at my imagination. But I certainly heard him call, not only once, but three or four times, impatiently. I learnt, a few days afterwards, that on that day he had been taken ill in London at the house of some friends, and that he had frequently expressed a wish that I should come and nurse him, as not speaking English he could not make himself understood".

Mrs. Stella tells us, on inquiry, that this is her only experience of an auditory hallucination.

The following corroboration is from a lady who was present at the time: -

"Breslau, February 18th, 1884.

"Mrs. Stella asked me to give you an account of an episode which occurred in my presence, while on a visit to her two years ago; and the following are the facts as nearly as I can remember them. We were sitting working together, when Mrs. Stella said she heard the voice of her son, who was absent in England at the time, calling her. This caused us some surprise, as he was not expected home, nor had we heard any sounds of an arrival.

"On going downstairs to meet him, we found no one, which astonished us, as Mrs. Stella had been so positive that she had heard him call. We afterwards heard that on that day he had been taken ill in London. I may here remark that young Mr. Stella is very much attached to his mamma, and especially dependent upon her in sickness.

"Clara Schmidt".

The next case is from Mi6s Burrows, residing at Hollard Hall, Stretford Road, Manchester.

December, 1884.