1 06 Yew- Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



'It is an idea in the north of Scotland that a 

 person, when grasping a branch of churchyard yew 

 in his left hand, may speak to any one he pleases, 

 but however loud he may call, the person spoken 

 to will not be able to hear what is said, though the 

 words will be audible to all around. O'Keefe 

 mentioned that a man who wished to prejudice the 

 clan against their chief without receiving punish- 

 ment for his rashness, approached the chief when 

 all his clan were around him, and bowing pro- 

 foundly as if to show his devotion, with the branch 

 of yew in his hand, spoke in the most insulting and 

 defiant manner for all around to hear. The result 

 of this strange experiment may easily be con- 

 ceived.' 1 



Forby, in his East Anglian Vocabulary, says that 

 it is a superstitious notion that 



* If you bring yew into the house at Christmas 

 amongst the evergreens used to dress it, you will 

 have a death in the family before the end of the 



year.' 2 



1 Notes and Queries, 6 Ser. ii. 1880, p. 184. 

 - Ibid., i Ser. vii. 447. 



