434 HE POUTS. 



Report of Folklore Section. 



Members who are interested in tlie subject of Guernsey 

 Folklore will ])rol)al)ly I'emember that diirinc^ the autumn of 

 last year (1907), Messrs. P. M. nud T. A. Luscornbe. of 

 St. Martin's, Avlth a few other youno- friends rcsidlnii' in the 

 same parish, organised an entertainment in the local Franco- 

 Norman dialect reminiscent of the festivities which a century 

 ago attended the annual agricultural fetes of the Grand 

 Plough. The time-honoured stories incident to such occasions 

 were pithily re-told, and the tunes of the old country songs 

 were skilfully revived, the result being that the whole ent(;r- 

 tainment achieved a popularity which was as well deserved as 

 it w^as gratifying to the authors who had taken such intelligent 

 pains in its compilation and arrangement. 



This ha])py thought of the St. Martin's Patois Com})any 

 has since had another gratifying result, for the old songs, thus 

 resuscitated — and a few others — have recently been published 

 in booklet form by Miss Edith F. Carey, who has thus ensured 

 for them a permanent record. This illustrated pamphlet, 

 which is entitled " A Link uritlt tlie Fast^'' not only records 

 the words, but also gives the musical notation of these old 

 folk-songs, together Avith a quantity of elucidatory information 

 which greatly adds to the interest of the study. Most of 

 these tunes, too, have been harmonised by Mr. Gravett, the 

 organist of St. Martin's C-hurch. 



Within the last few days I have been reminded of an old 

 local belief, of which I had not previously heard mention for 

 a good many years, although formerly one often met Avith it. 

 I mean the legend that the light swirls of whirling dust that 

 one sees occasionally skimming along some public-road in 

 summer time, indicate that Herodias, the disreputable wife of 

 two of the Herods, is traA^elling that Avay, and shaking her 

 petticoats as she dances along. The legend recalls the 

 tragic ei)isode of St. John the Baptist and Herodias' daughter 

 Salome, whose dancing on one memorable occasion brought 

 such a disastrous and fatal result to the out-spoken forerunner 

 of our Lord. Sometimes a more than usually violent A^diirl- 

 wind Avill pass across a harvest-field, disturbing the sheaves of 

 corn. This also is a sign that Herodias is on the move, and 

 the way to check her mischief is for one of the reapers to 

 throw his sickle at her invisible, but obviously present, form. 

 Referring to this belief, some years ago a Avell-knoAvn 

 Guernseyman told me that he was one day driving along a 

 certain country-road in the Island, Avhen his horse suddenly 



