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of fortune. The final portion of the ceremony consisted in placing 

 in order over the door the whole collection of stalks, and, as 

 the party re-entered the house, their Christian names signified in 

 the same order those of the husbands or wives. "Where no 

 " Hallowe'en " party was held a similar ceremony was performed 

 by the maidens of the house. 



Another custom, also indulged in at " Hallowe'en," was that of 

 a maiden paring a potato and preserving the skin in a piece, and 

 afterwards placing it above the door. The first man entering the 

 house was of the same Christian name as her future husband. 

 Another custom was to pai-e an apple in a similar way, but to 

 throw the skin over the left shoulder, when the form it assumed 

 was that of the first letter of the future husband's name. 



No doubt many have heard the vague statement that the 

 mountain ash or rowan tree has the power of keeping witches at 

 a pi'oper distance. This has long been familiar to me, but it is 

 only lately that I have been able to discover that it was held in 

 high repute in Kirkcudbrightshire, and that even within com- 

 paratively recent years it was much used in that county. It was 

 a common custom to place a twig or small branch of this tree 

 above the door of the byre — sometimes inside and sometimes 

 outside. This is in accordance with the statement in Jamieson's 

 " Scottish Dictionary " that the rowan tree thus used was " the 

 most approved charm against cantrips and spells." 



There seems also in my neighbourhood a faint recollection of 

 the general belief among the Scottish peasantry that a twig of 

 this ti'ee carried in the pocket was effectual against witchcraft 

 and the " evil eye." It was necessary, however, that one of the 

 following couplets should be written upon a piece of paper which 

 was to be wrapped round the twig and tied with red thread. 

 The couplets are as follow : — 



" Rowan, ash, and red thread 

 Keep the devils f rae their speed. " 



Another was : — 



" Roan tree and red thread 

 Hand the witches a' in dread." 



Another, to which my attention was lately called, is given in 

 James Grant's " Scottish Cavalier," and runs as follows : — 



" Red thread and rowan tree 



Mak' warlock, witch, and fairy flee." 



