

ENNIS NA SHIA. 85 



ductiveness ; and it is not here and there 

 a plant, but in patches, and always capri- 

 ciously : in one case, every potato that a 

 man has planted up to a certain night, will 

 come up and thrive ; while of the next day's 

 work not one will even show its head above 

 ground — with his neighbour it may be ex- 

 actly the reverse." 



"And what cause is assigned for it?" 

 said the Captain. 



" None whatever, I believe, by any one 

 who knows anything about it. The people 

 here, of course, attribute it to the fairies ; 

 and it is certainly very like one of their mis- 

 chievous pranks. I think it is peculiar to 

 this district, and certainly the fairies have 

 more power on the banks of the Erne than 

 they have anywhere else. At any rate it is 

 fully believed by the people. Many a man 

 lere begins his work on a Friday morning 

 jarly, and muddles it through, so as to finish 

 planting on that day, under the firm impres- 

 sion that on that day fairy maledictions, as 

 rell as fairy gifts, lose their power. Many, 

 m the other hand, have avoided Friday, by 

 way of escaping the displeasure of the fairies ; 

 but hitherto both courses have been attended 



