566 Some remarkable Vulgar Prejudices, 



A string was passed through the hole of such a stone, which 

 was tied by the string to some part of the bedstead, and 

 deemed adequate to preserve the occupant of the bed from 

 visits from any witch. 



A " Lucky Sto7ie^^ with the boys of Cambridgeshire, is the 

 lower or curved half or valve of a fossil species of Gryphaij^a, 

 a genus of fossil bivalve shells: see II. 31, 32. Instances of 

 the occurence of this valve in the gravel used for the roads 

 and other purposes are not very rare ; and when a boy meets 

 with one, the practice is this: to spit into it and throw it be- 

 hind him, over his shoulder, without looking what becomes 

 of it : and this to the end of promoting good-fortune to him- 

 self. I think that this ceremony is done, however, by the 

 boys, more " according to custom " than in deference to any 

 serious belief in good resuUs from it. " The devil's toe-nail " 

 is a name for this valve of the GryphaeX either in Cambridge- 

 shire or Suffolk *^ probably in both, and this name itself 

 implies a superstition. 



A Species of Belemnifes, a genus of multilocular univalve 

 fossil shells (see II. 35.), occurs not very rarely among the 

 gravel in Cambridgeshire ; the individuals of which species 

 the boys call " thunderbolts ;" and have in this case, I believe, 

 some real credence of their having been derived to the earth 

 from thunderstorms. For Notices of Superstitions of a higher 

 order connected mth Recent^ notFossil, Shells, see III. 256 — 26 1. 



The Nest o/rfhe Robin sacred even to Boys. — Of the boyish 

 superstitions vvihich I remember, that with the best tendency 

 (all superstitions are bad in themselves, as they afflict the 

 mind with an enslaving fear) was one enjoining the leaving 

 unrobbed the nest of the robin : whatever boy robbed a robin's 

 nest would be punished by having an arm or a leg taken off 

 him ; and this^ one " Tom Moody," or somebody who came 

 occasionally with powers irresistible^ would effect. 



A Superstition connected mth the Ass. — The neck, withers, 

 and ridge of the back of the ass are traversed by a black 

 line of sufficient breadth to make it very obvious, and this 

 line is crossed by a similar line which is extended some dis- 

 tance down each shoulder ; so that from the two lines the 

 figure of a crucifix is fairly presented : this, I was told in 

 boyhood, has been the case with the ass, in all individuals of 

 the species must be meant, ever since Christ rode upon one, 

 on his entry into Jerusalem. [Matthew, xxi.) 



* A cartload (perhaps several cartloads) of fossil shells of a species 

 of Gryphae'^a, were found, in about 1825, in a pit at Chedberg, Suffolk : we 

 wish some Suffolk correspondent would enable us to register authentic 

 particulars respecting them. 



