THE HARVEST MOON. 157 



it noticed elsewhere, that although these anomalous beings are 

 always credited with much capriciousness, and are constantly 

 described as sensitive in the extreme to anything like slight or 

 insult, keenly vindictive in their dispositions and easily irritated, 

 they are never represented as encompassing the death of human 

 beings. They tease, terrify, and torment in a thousand ways where 

 they take a dislike, but they never kill. Their power is described 

 as great, but it is also limited the issues of life and death are 

 beyond then 1 reach. In the fairy song (temp. Charles I.) first 

 quoted, there are two amusing verses indicating such pranks as 

 fairies could play on mortals, if mortals offended them. Thus con- 

 cludes Queen Mab her song : 



" Next turned to mites in cheese, forsooth, 

 We get into some hollow tooth ; 

 Wherein, as in a Christmas hall, 

 We frisk and dance, the devil and all ! 



" Then we change our wily features, 

 Into yet far smaller creatures, 

 And dance in joints of gouty toes, 

 To painful tunes of groans and woes. " 



A pathology of toothache and gout that we recommend to the 

 attention of the faculty. The fairy ring agaric is one of the British 

 species of mushroom that may be eaten with safety. For our own 

 part we abominate the whole tribe. Our table may be scantier at 

 times than we could wish, but it will be scantier far than a kind 

 Providence has ever yet permitted it to be before we shall think 

 of dining or supping on funguses. Chacun a son gout, however, 

 and if anybody wants mushrooms in abundance, now is the time, 

 and Nether Lochaber is the place for them. 



^he new moon that comes in this morning (the 6th) will be the 

 harvest moon of the year. It is full on the 20th, and for a few 

 evenings before and after will be very beautiful, and well worth 



