80 Transactions. 



tionally severe one. The belief lias probaltly nothing but its 

 beauty to conmiend it, but we almost think it deserves to live 

 were it for that alone. The birds generally have come to look 

 upon man as a foe, and it should be pleasing to find that one at 

 least continues to tru.st in him as a friend. According to the old 

 jingle— 



The robin and the wren 



Are God Ahnighty's cock and hen ; 

 If ye take out o' then- nest 



Ye'll never thrive again. 



Would that a similar notion of ill-luck attended tlie persecution 

 of all our birds. The yellow-hammer, less fortunate than the 

 robin, is the subject of universal I'eproach, and for no other 

 reason that we know of than that it chances to wear the devil's 

 livery of yellow. The song of the yellow hammer is monotonous 

 in the extreme, and in Glencairn the notes of which it is com- 

 posed have been interpreted into the request " please will ye gie 

 me a wee bit bread and cheese ] " the e in the final syllable 

 being drawn out to correspond with the last note of the song. 

 Among quadrupeds the cat has long been looked upon with 

 suspicion, a circumstance due no doubt to the belief that this was 

 one of the forms in which witches were wont to masquerade. 

 Great importance seems to have been attached to the position 

 in which the first lamb or the first foal was seen, for should 

 either of these animals be discovered "lying,'' then a year of 

 sickness was signified, but if seen in motion then health and 

 activity were supposed to be assured throughout the year. That 

 humble little animal the house-cricket, or " charker," as it is 

 locally called, has been extremely fortunate in the superstitions 

 which attach to it, and there are few people who would knowingly 

 kill a " charker," as its companions would be sure to eat holes in 

 their clothes. " Charkers " are likewise supposed to bring luck 

 to a house, and I am credibly informed that they are occasionally 

 captured and conveyed to the home in the hope that luck will be 

 conveyed there with them. The snail, again, is esteemed an 

 invaluable remedy for warts. Here is the recipe : — Procure a 

 black snail and kill it, rub the wart or warts with it once a day 

 for a week, and carefully preserve the snail after each application. 

 By the end of the prescribed period the wart will become dry 

 and crumble away. When bees swarm they are " rung down " 



