Nutting. 211 
joke, half in earnest. A slender rod is cut, and so 
trimmed as to have a small fork at one end ; this fork 
is placed under the little finger in such a way that 
the rod itself comes over the back of the other fingers ; 
it is then lightly balanced, and vibrates easily. The 
magician walks slowly over the ground selected, 
watching the tip of the wand ; and should it bend 
downwards without volition on his part, it is a sign 
that water is concealed beneath the spot. 
The nuts upon the bushes do not all ripen at the 
same time: one or two bushes are first, and offer ripe 
nuts before the rest have hardened sufficiently. The 
leaves on these also drop earlier, turning a light 
yellow. The size and even the shape of the nuts 
vary too, some being nearly round and others roughly 
resembling the almond. Their flavour when taken 
from the bush is sweet, juicy, ‘nutty.’ When they 
will ‘slip udd’ is the proper time to gather them— 
ze. when the hood or outer green covering slips off at 
a touch, leaving the light-brown nut in the palm: it: 
is a delicately shaded brown. Cut off just the tip of 
the nut—the pointed keystone of its Gothic arch— 
with a penknife ; insert the blade ever so slightly, and 
a gentle turn splits the shell and shows two onyx- 
white hemispheres of kernel. 
With a little care the tallest boughs may be 
pulled down uninjured ; if dragged down rudely the 
bough will be ‘ sprung’ where it joins the stole below, 
and will then wither and die. The plan is simply to 
P2 
