ANIMAL AND PLANT LORE OF CHILDREN. 371 



Asclepias cornuti. Now, does not the fact that plants which differ so 

 widely from one another, save in the one respect of secreting a white 

 or milk-like juice, are alike reputed to possess this power of removing 

 warts, probably show that this virtue is entirely imaginary and the re- 

 sult of the accidental similarity in their juices ? With or without rea- 

 son, in Eastern Massachusetts it is thought that bathing warts with 

 rain-water that chances to stand in a yellow-oak stump will cure them. 

 Another remedy is to rub them with a bean-leaf and then hide the lat- 

 ter. Or, again, steal a bean, rub the warts, throw the bean on moist 

 earth or bury it, and, as the bean sprouts, it is supposed the warts will 

 gradually disappear. Another " cure " is to cut a notch in a sprout of 

 an apple-tree, rub the wart across the notch, and as the notch grows 

 up the wart will be removed. 



Those who were pupils in "Western district schools twenty or thirty 

 years ago probably remember how if a child was stung by a wasp or 

 bee the immediate cry from the playfellows was, " Get three leaves ! " 

 " Rub it with three leaves ! " And forthwith three leaves were plucked 

 from any three plants whatever, quickly crushed in the hand and held 

 on the bee-sting, and, no matter what leaves had been found, there was 

 perfect faith that the pain would soon be relieved. 



There is a saying among young sportsmen that, to spill shot in the 

 first load in hunting, means " no game." 



Many a half -grown lad believes that virtue is imparted to the bait 

 by rubbing it, before casting his line into the water, with the hard cal- 

 losity from a horse's fore-leg ; these horny growths are therefore ea- 

 gerly sought about the stable or the horseshoer's shop and are carried 

 about in the pocket in spite of their strong scent. Another supposed 

 charm is to spit on the bait. It is just possible that some odor lent the 

 bait by either of these substances does attract the attention of the fish, 

 but I have no sufficient evidence of this. In some parts of New Eng- 

 land boys dislike to meet a lone crow when going fishing, as they 

 say this foretells bad luck. Silence is the law of good anglers (of 

 larger growth), but boys sometimes hope to " get a bite " by repeat- 

 ing over and over 



" Fishy, fishy, come bite my hook, 

 I'll go captain, and you'll go cook- 

 (ed in the pan)." 



The confidence which children have in the various incantations 

 which they repeat for certain purposes is most interesting. In differ- 

 ent localities they utter various formulae when an ant-lion's den is dis- 

 covered. Children I knew years ago in Northern Ohio would quickly 

 bend down over the little funnel in the sand and solemnly repeat in 

 rather a loud monotone, " Mooly-up," " Mooly-up," until the sand be- 

 gan to be stirred by the creature concealed below, which doubtless was 

 attracted by the crooning sound, and supposed it to be made by some 



