6i8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to no one. The good woman must not do any sewing in the de- 

 crease of the moon, for the stitches will not hold ; farming-tools 

 must not be left in the field, because, it is believed, if they are, 

 crops will not again thrive there. If an unbaptized child is ex- 

 posed to the moonlight, it will lose its luck for its whole life. If 

 one points at the moon with the finger he will suffer from swell- 

 ings around the nail ; and whoever spits at the moon will lose all 

 his teeth. These beliefs, too, are international. The same is the 

 case with the religious notions about the new moon. Sorceries of 

 every kind, to be successful, must be performed on Sunday night 

 of the new moon. The hair must be cut only in the increase of the 

 moon, otherwise there is danger of getting headache. If a person 

 returning home in the evening sees the full moon, he ought to 

 take some money out of his purse, and utter an incantation that 

 will make it increase a hundred times during the month. 



The moon is also supposed to have an influence over animals 

 and plants. Cucumbers become very large by lying three nights 

 in moonshine. Trees, of which it is intended to make timber for 

 a house, must be felled only in the full moon, else some one in the 

 family will die very soon. Sheep must be sheared in the increase 

 of the moon, for the wool is then longest and most durable. Swine 

 should be slaughtered at the same season, when they are at their 

 fattest and in the most healthy condition. 



What Tacitus says of the Germans, that they believe that cer- 

 tain things are best undertaken in the new moon or before its full, 

 is also applicable to the South Slavic superstitions. In both Ger- 

 man and South Slavic popular lore, the moon is only a fetich, and 

 South Slavic belief at least affords no ground for the supposition 

 that it is honored as a divinity ; and I have no hesitation in de- 

 claring that the finely drawn speculations of Slavic mythologists 

 respecting the moon are only learned but vain dreams. 



We may remark, in conclusion, that peasants are wont to pre- 

 dict the approaching phases of the weather from the color of the 

 moon. They have the belief that the moon is like a sponge, and 

 can instantly absorb the clouds, and as quickly let them loose 

 again to darken the sky. If the moon shines silvery clear, fine 

 weather is at hand ; if it looks reddish, there will be wind ; and a 

 pale moon is a sign of impending rain. Some believe that if the 

 horn of the new moon shows a little spot, the weather at full moon 

 will be foul ; if there is no spot, it will be fair till the end of the 

 month. — Translated for the Popular Science Monthly from Das 

 Ausland. 



Peof. Nehring believes that the dog is descended from various still- surviving 

 species of wolves and jackals. It is not particularly difficult, he says, to tame 

 jackals, and many attempts to domesticate wolves have been made in recent 

 times. 



