Franklin Edgerton was one of the most respected scholars in Linguistics of his time, known for his many translations and editions of Sanskrit literature. In this essay he discusses the date and character of the original Paficatantra - the work from which all the versions of the Hindu Beast-myth must be supposed to have been derived. He then undertakes a more detailed and technical critique of certain important points of Hertel's 'genealogical table' of Paficatantra versions. The article provides a detailed overview of the relevant manuscripts and their history, and is of interest to linguists and scholars of Sanskrit literature who wish to develop a deeper acquaintance with the history of their field.