WILD FLOWER SUPERSTITIONS. 
193 
walks among the Virginia Hills — ‘ But whichever way I go, I am glad I came ; ’ 
and the reader of his charming little volumes may say, in a similar phrase, ‘ Which- 
ever essay I read, I am glad I read it,’ for pleasanter reading, to those who love 
the country with all its enchanting sights and sounds, cannot be imagined.” — 
Ed. N. N.] 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING WILD FLOWERS 
IN THE SELBORNE COUNTRY. 
HAVE been much interested in noting the many 
curious traditions and superstitions with regard to 
wild flowers, which are passed from one to another 
by the villagers in this neighbourhood. There is 
hardly a well-known plant that has not some story con- 
nected with it, some cure to be derived from it, or some 
lesson to teach with regard to rveather, time or place. The 
school children, when gathering daisies, loudly point out to one 
another the red-tipped blossoms which represent the “ blushing 
young girls,” or the paler flowers personating “the white-haired 
old women.” Nurse-maids will warn their little charges “ not 
to pick them black-man-flowers” ( Prunella vulgavis), telling that 
the plant belongs to the devil, who is exceedingly annoyed rvhen 
it is gathered, and will certainly appear in the night to carry off 
the child who has so angered him. 
Most of us have heard how unlucky it is to burn evergreens 
before the New Year, but few know the origin of the supersti- 
tion. In the days of our forefathers, holly, ivy, and mistletoe, 
were brought into the houses — not to decorate them for 
Christmas, but to tempt the wood nymphs and spirits out of 
the cold and leafless country into the warmth and light. 
Those who succeeded were in return helped and watched over 
through the coming year, while those who, on the contrary, 
burnt and destroyed what little green and refuge was left, 
were tormented, and became unlucky in consequence. 
Wild flowers are not employed by our villagers as medi- 
cines to the same extent that they were a few years ago, but 
the other day I heard of a “ tea ” now in use, which is com- 
posed of eighty-three different herbs — among others, scarlet 
poppy and dockweed. The cures for warts are many, yellow 
spit ( Chelidonum majus), wartwort ( Euphorbia Hclioscopia ) and 
chickweed ( Stellaria media), being the favourites. As far as I 
can make out the last mentioned is used in the following way : 
Take some tallow candle and melt it down in an old saucepan, 
then add a handful of S. media and boil all together for some 
time, strain and pour into a shallow vessel to cool, and w r hen 
cold cut into narrow strips and tie it over the “ werts.” 
The prolific manner in which the gorse or furze bushes 
blossom has not passed unnoticed, and in some parts of Eng- 
land one of the most common sayings is “ Courtin’ ’ill cease 
