DORSETSHIRE FOLK-SPEECH AND SUPERSTITIONS. 31 



It is commonly believed that whatever you happen to be doing 

 when you first hear the cuckoo you will be mostly doing during the 

 year. It is also important when and where you hear it, for if it is 

 after Old Midsummer Day, or you happen to be in a churchyard, 

 you won't live the year out. That Midsummer is an unusually 

 late period to hear the cuckoo, we may gather from the following 

 lines, which Avere repeated by an old woman, who has recently 

 died, in the village of Symondsbury, aged nearly 90 : 

 " Cuckoo is here (heard T) in April, 

 Cuckoo is here in May, 

 Cuckoo here on Midsummer's Eve, 

 But not on Midsummer's Day." 



With this we may compare a local variant of the better known 

 rhyme : 



" In April 

 He comes ; 

 In May 



He sings all day ; 

 In June 



He changes his tune ; 

 In July 



He prepares to fly ; 

 In August 

 Go he must." 



Giddy-gander : The early purple orchis (orchis mascuJa) and the 

 green-winged meadow-orchis (orchis mono) and other common 

 species of orchis are so called in the Vale of Blackmore. (See 

 Single-castle). An ointment of a bright delicate green colour used 

 to be made from the large butterfly-orchis (orchis bifolia) and 

 applied to ulcers. 



Gil-cup (Gilty-cup) : The butter-cup (ranunculus bulbosus), so- 

 called from the gold-like gloss of its petals. 



Gipsy-rose : The lilac field-flower (knautia arvensis) ; the 

 scabiosa atropurpurea. 



God Almighty's Cow : The lady-bird (cocinella s&ptem punctata). 



