TRANSACTIONS. Ie 
somebody is praising, but if the left you are being reviled. A 
curly head is the sign of a quiet temper. The hair of the eyebrows 
meeting above the nose signifies unsteadiness and love of change. 
The howling of a dog at night is indicative of death. The burning 
of withered grass on the moors in spring “cankers the air and 
brings on rain.” The clothes of dead men don’t last long. A 
whistling woman and a crowiog hen are uncanny. An excellent 
cure for warts is to rub them in the morning with your fasting 
spittle. It is unlucky to turn either horse or vehicle widdershins 
—that is, against the sun. It is dangerous for future welfare to 
pour out any liquid turning your hand backwards. When a 
candle runs—that is, when a shaving descends down its stalk— 
look soon for the coffin of a friend. Ifa window blind fall of its own 
accord, it is unlucky. Bees leaving a hive full of honey is a bad 
omen. Bees are encouraged to settle when swarming by loud noises 
and rattling of instruments. It is unlucky to spill salt at table or 
to help another to it. Cast some salt over your left shoulder and 
your mistake will be rectified. To drop your umbrella or walking- 
stick shows that your mind is likely to give way. The cuckoo 
remains until it gets an awn of barley into its throat. Thirteen at 
table is unlucky—he who rises first runs most risk ; better, in such 
a dilemma, all to rise at once. To dream of a wedding signifies a 
corpse. The grandfather of a lady in Tynron dreamed he was at a 
ball with his sister, who looked well, and was in a white dress. 
She went out, saying to him, “ You will not be long in following 
me.” She died in a short time, and he died soon afterwards. If 
you dream on Sunday morning, you shall have a letter within a 
week. One instance has reached me of a person seeing another 
sitting in a chair when the person thus seen was not at all in the 
room. Brewster accounts for similar visions by a diseased condi- 
tion of the retina. Swallows building in your eaves is lucky. 
Crickets leaving the house is a sign of death. The culm which 
accumulates on the bars of a grate foretells a visitor. The bright 
spark often seen on a candle declares, if it falls, a letter is posted 
to you ; but if it sticks to the side of the candle, it denotes that it 
is only on the way to be posted. Such are the greater part of my 
gleanings of folk lore in Tynron and the neighbourhood. I fear 
there is not much new in it ; but it may give you an idea of the 
residuum of belief which still lingers on from the time which some 
people have named “ The Ages of Faith.” 
