Chapter XIII: Act V: , S. I (9)

I heard the following tale in Denbighshire:--In days of old, a company of men were stealthily making their way across the country to come upon the enemy unawares. All at once they espied a magpie on a tree, and by common consent they halted to see which way it would take its flight, and thus foretell the fortune which would attend their journey. One of the party, evidently an unbeliever in his comrades' superstition, noiselessly approached the bird, and shot it dead, to the great horror of his companions. The leader of the party, in great anger, addressed the luckless archer--"You have shot the bird of fate, and you shall be shot." The dauntless man said, "I shot the magpie, it is true, but if it could foretell our fate, why could it not foresee its own?" The archer's reasoning was good, but I do not know whether people were convinced by logic in those distant times, any more than they are in ours.

I will relate one other tale of the magpie, which I heard upwards of twenty years ago in the parish of Llanwnog, Montgomeryshire.

I was speaking to a farmer's wife--whose name it is not necessary to give, as it has nothing to do with the tale--when a magpie flew across our view. "Ah!" she ejaculated, "you naughty old thing, what do you want here?" "I see," said I, "you think she brings bad luck with her." "Oh, yes," was the response, "I know she does." "What makes you so positive," said I, "that she brings bad luck with her?" My question elicited the following story. My friend commenced:--"You know the brook at the bottom of the hill. Well, my mother met with very bad luck there, a good many years ago, and it was in this way--she was going to Newtown fair, on our old horse, and she had a basket of eggs with her. But, just as she was going to leave the 'fould,' a magpie flew before her. We begged of her not to go that day--that bad luck would attend her. She would not listen to us, but started off. However, she never got further than the brook, at the bottom of the hill, for, when she got there, the old mare made straight for the brook, and jerked the bridle out of mother's hand, and down went the mare's head to drink, and off went the basket, and poor mother too. All the eggs were broken, but I'm glad to say mother was not much the worse for her fall. But ever since then I know it is unlucky to see a magpie. But sir," she added, "there is no bad luck for us to-day, for _the magpie flew from left to right_."

The magpie was thought to be a great thief, and it was popularly supposed that if its tongue were split into two with silver it could talk like a man.

The cry of the magpie is a sign of rain. To man its dreaded notes indicated disaster, thus:--

Clyw grechwen nerth pen, iaith pi--yn addaw
Newyddion drwg i mi.

List! the magpie's hoarse and bitter cry
Shows that misfortune's sigh is nigh.

If this bird builds her nest at the top of a tree the summer will be dry; if on the lower branches, the summer will be wet.

_The Owl_.

The hooting of an owl about a house was considered a sign of ill luck, if not of death. This superstition has found a place in rhyme, thus:--

Os y ddylluan ddaw i'r fro,
Lle byddo rhywun afiach
Dod yno i ddweyd y mae'n ddinad,
Na chaiff adferiad mwyach.
If an owl comes to those parts,
Where some one sick is lying,
She comes to say without a doubt,
That that sick one is dying.

_Peacock_.

The peacock's shrill note is a sign of rain. Its call is supposed to resemble the word _gwlaw_, the Welsh for rain.

_Pigeon_.

If the sick asks for a pigeon pie, or the flesh of a pigeon, it is a sign that his death is near.

If the feathers of a pigeon be in a bed, the sick cannot die on it.

_The Raven_.

The raven has ever enjoyed a notoriously bad name as a bird of ill-omen.

He was one of those birds which the Jews were to have in abomination (Lev., xi., 5-13).

But other nations besides the Jews dreaded the raven.

The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of
Duncan under thy battlements.

_Macbeth_, Act i., s. 5.

Thus wrote Shakespeare, giving utterance to a superstition then common. From these words it would seem that the raven was considered a sign of evil augury to a person whose house was about to be entered by a visitor, for his croaking forebode treachery. But the raven's croaking was thought to foretell misfortune to a person about to enter another's house. If he heard the croaking he had better turn back, for an evil fate awaited him.

In Denmark the appearance of a raven in a village is considered an indication that the parish priest is to die, or that the church is to be burnt down that year. (_Notes and Queries_, vol. ii., second series, p. 325.) The Danes of old prognosticated from the appearance of the raven on their banners the result of a battle. If the banner flapped, and exhibited the raven as alive, it augured success; if, however, it moved not, defeat awaited them.

In Welsh there is a pretty saying:--

Duw a ddarpar i'r fran.

God provides for the raven.

But this, after all, is only another rendering of the lovely words:--

Your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Such words imply that the raven is a favoured bird. (See p. 304).

_Robin Redbreast_.

Ill luck is thought to follow the killer of dear Robin Redbreast, the children's winter friend. No one ever shoots Robin, nor do children rob its nest, nor throw stones at it. Bad luck to anyone who does so. The little bird with its wee body endeavoured to staunch the blood flowing from the Saviour's side, and it has ever since retained on its breast the stain of His sacred blood, and it consequently enjoys a sacred life. It is safe from harm wherever English is spoken.

There is another legend, which is said to be extant in Carmarthenshire, accounting for the Robin's _red breast_. It is given in _Bye-Gones_, vol. i., p. 173, from Mr. Hardwick's _Traditions_, _Superstitions_, _Folk-lore_, _etc_.:--"Far, far away, is a land of woe, darkness, spirits of evil, and fire. Day by day does the little bird bear in its bill a drop of water to quench the flame. So near to the burning stream does he fly that his dear little feathers are scorched; and hence is he named Bronchuddyn (qu. Bronrhuddyn), i.e., breast-burned, or breast-scorched. To serve little children, the robin dares approach the infernal pit. No good child will hurt the devoted benefactor of man. The robin returns from the land of fire, and therefore he feels the cold of winter far more than the other birds. He shivers in brumal blasts, and hungry he chirps before your door. Oh, my child, then, in pity throw a few crumbs to poor red-breast."

_The Sea Gull_.

It is believed that when sea gulls leave the sea for the mountains it is a sign of stormy weather.

A few years ago I was walking from Corwen to Gwyddelwern, and I overtook an aged man, and we entered into conversation. Noticing the sea gulls hovering about, I said, there is going to be a storm. The answer of my old companion was, yes, for the sea gull says before starting from the sea shore:--

Drychin, drychin,
Awn i'r eithin;

and then when the storm is over, they say one to the other, before they take their flight back again to the sea:--

Hindda, hindda,
Awn i'r morfa.

which first couplet may be translated:--

Foul weather, foul weather,
Let's go to the heather;

and then the two last lines may be rendered:--

The storm is no more,
Let's go to the shore.

This was the only occasion when I heard the above stanza, and I have spoken to many aged Welshmen, and they had not heard the words, but every one to whom I spoke believed that the sea gulls seen at a distance from the sea was a sign of foul weather.

_The Swallow_.

The joy with which the first swallow is welcomed is almost if not quite equal to the welcome given to the cuckoo. "One swallow does not make a summer" is an old saw.

There is a superstition connected with the swallow that is common in Wales, which is, that if it forsakes its old nest on a house, it is a sign of ill luck to that house. But swallows rarely forsake their old nests, and shortly after their arrival they are busily engaged in repairing the breaches, which the storms of winter or mischievous children have made in their abodes; and their pleasant twitterings are a pleasure to the occupants of the house along which they build their nests, for the visit is a sign of luck.

The flight of the swallow is a good weather sign. When the swallow flies high in the air, it is a sign of fair weather; when, on the other hand, it skims the earth, it is a sign of rain.

It was a great misfortune to break a swallow's nest, for--

Y neb a doro nyth y wenol,
Ni wel fwyniant yn dragwyddol.

Whoever breaks a swallow's nest,
Shall forfeit everlasting rest.

_The Swan_.

The eggs of the swan are hatched by thunder and lightning. This bird sings its own death song.

_The Swift_.

This bird's motions are looked upon as weather signs. Its feeding regions are high up in the air when the weather is settled for fair, and low down when rain is approaching.

Its screaming is supposed to indicate a change of weather from fair to rain.

_Tit Major_, _or Sawyer_.

The Rev. E. V. Owen, Vicar of Llwydiarth, Montgomeryshire, told me that the Tit's notes are a sign of rain, at least, that it is so considered in his parish. The people call the bird "Sawyer," and they say its notes resemble in sound the filing of a saw. A man once said to my friend:--"I dunna like to hear that old sawyer whetting his saw." "Why not," said Mr. Owen. "'Cause it'll rain afore morning," was the answer. This bird, if heard in February, when the snow or frost is on the ground, indicates a breaking up of the weather. Its sharp notes rapidly repeated several times in succession are welcome sounds in hard weather, for they show that spring is coming.

_The Wren_.

The Wren's life is sacred, excepting at one time of the year, for should anyone take this wee birdie's life away, upon him some mishap will fall. The wren is classed with the Robin:--

The robin and the wren
Are God's cock and hen.

The cruel sport of hunting the wren on St. Stephen's Day, which the writer has a dim recollection of having in his boyhood joined in, was the one time in the year when the wren's life was in jeopardy.

The Rev. Silvan Evans, in a letter to the _Academy_, which has been reproduced in _Bye-Gones_, vol. vii., p. 206, alludes to this sport in these words:--

"Something similar to the 'hunting of the wren' was not unknown to the Principality as late as about a century ago, or later. In the Christmas holidays it was the custom of a certain number of young men, not necessarily boys, to visit the abodes of such couples as had been married within the year. The order of the night--for it was strictly a nightly performance--was to this effect. Having caught a wren, they placed it on a miniature bier made for the occasion, and carried it in procession towards the house which they intended to visit. Having arrived they serenaded the master and mistress of the house under their bedroom window with the following doggerel:--

Dyma'r dryw,
Os yw e'n fyw,
Neu dderyn to
I gael ei rostio.

That is:--

Here is the wren,
If he is alive,
Or a sparrow
To be roasted.

If they could not catch a wren for the occasion, it was lawful to substitute a sparrow (ad eryn to). The husband, if agreeable, would then open the door, admit the party, and regale them with plenty of Christmas ale, the obtaining of which being the principal object of the whole performance."

The second line in the verse, "_Os yw e'n fyw_," intimates that possibly the wren is dead--"If he is alive." This would generally be the case, as it was next to impossible to secure the little thing until it had been thoroughly exhausted, and then the act of pouncing upon it would itself put an end to its existence.

Perhaps the English doggerel was intended to put an end to this cruel sport, by intimating that the wee bird belonged to God, was one of His creatures, and that therefore it should not be abused.

There is a Welsh couplet still in use:--

Pwy bynnag doro nyth y dryw,
Ni chaiff ef weled wyneb Duw.

Whoever breaks a wren's nest,
Shall never see God's face.

This saying protects the snug little home of the wren. Much the same thing is said of the Robin's nest, but I think this was put, "Whoever robs a robin's nest shall go to hell."

Another Welsh couplet was:--

Y neb a doro nyth y dryw,
Ni chaiff iechyd yn ei fyw.

Whoever breaks the wren's nest,
Shall never enjoy good health.

Although the robin and the wren were favourites of heaven, still it was supposed that they were under some kind of curse, for it was believed that the robin could not fly through a hedge, it must always fly over, whilst on the other hand, the wren could not fly over a hedge, but it was obliged to make its way through it. (See Robin, p. 329).

_The Wood Pigeon_.

The thrice repeated notes of five sounds, with an abrupt note at the end, of which the cooing of the wood pigeon consists, have been construed into words, and these words differ in different places, according to the state of the country, and the prevailing sentiments of the people. Of course, the language of the wood pigeon is always the language of the people amongst whom he lives. He always speaks Welsh in Wales, and English in England, but in these days this bird is so far Anglicised that it blurts out English all along the borders of Wales.

In the cold spring days, when food is scarce and the wood pigeon cold, it forms good resolutions, and says:--

Yn yr haf
Ty a wnaf;
Gwnaf.

In the summer
I'll make a house;
I will.

However, when the summer has come with flower, and warmth, the wood pigeon ridicules its former resolution and changes its song, for in June it forgets January, and now it asks:--

Yn yr ha'
Ty pwy wna'?
Pwy?

In the summer
Who'll make a house?
Who?

For then a house is quite unnecessary, and the trouble to erect one great. The above ditty was told me by the Rev. John Williams, Rector of Newtown, a native of Flintshire.

In the English counties bordering upon Wales, such as Herefordshire, the wood pigeon encouraged Welshmen to drive off Englishmen's cattle to their homes, by saying:--

Take two cows, Taffy,
Take two cows, Taffy,
Take two.

and ever since those days the same song is used; but another version is:--

Take two cows Davy,
Take two cows Davy,
Two.

The late Rev. R. Williams, Rector of Llanfyllin, supplied me with the above, and he stated that he obtained it from Herefordshire.

In the uplands of Denbighshire the poor wood pigeon has a hard time of it in the winter, and, to make provision for the cold winter days, he, when he sees the farmer sowing spring seeds, says:--

Dyn du, dyn da,
Hau pys, hau ffa,
Hau ffacbys i ni
Fwyta.

which rendered into English is:--

Black man, good man,
Sow peas, sow beans,
Sow vetches for us
To eat.

Mr. Hugh Jones, Pentre Llyn Cymmer, a farmer in Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, a descendant of the bard Robert Davies, Nantglyn, supplied me with the preceding ditty.

_The Magpie teaching a Wood Pigeon how to make a nest_.

The wood pigeon makes an untidy nest, consisting of a few bits of twigs placed one on the other without much care. There is a fable in the Iolo MSS., p. 159, in Welsh, and the translation appears on page 567 in English, as follows:--

The magpie, observing the slight knowledge of nest building possessed by the wood pigeon, kindly undertook the work of giving his friend a lesson in the art, and as the lesson proceeded, the wood pigeon, bowing, cooed out:--

_Mi wn_! _Mi wn_! _Mi wn_!

I know! I know! I know!

The instructor was at first pleased with his apt pupil, and proceeded with his lesson, but before another word could be uttered, the bird swelling with pride at its own importance and knowledge, said again:--

I know! I know! I know!

The magpie was annoyed at this ignorant assurance, and with bitter sarcasm said: "Since you know, do it then," and this is why the wood pigeon's nest is so untidy in our days. In its own mind it knew all about nest building, and was above receiving instruction, and hence its present clumsy way of building its nest. This fable gave rise to a proverb, "As the wood pigeon said to the magpie: 'I know.'"

It is believed that when wood pigeons are seen in large flocks it is a sign of foul weather.

_Woodpecker_.

The woodpecker's screech was a sign of rain. This bird is called by two names in Welsh which imply that it foretold storms; as, _Ysgrech y coed_, the wood screech, and _Caseg y drycin_, the storm mare.

These names have found a place in Welsh couplets:--

"Ysgrech y coed!
Mae'r gwlaw yn dod."

The Woodpecker's cry!
The rain is nigh.

_Bardd Nantglyn_, Robert Davies, Nantglyn, has an englyn to the woodpecker:--

"I Gaseg y Drycin."

"Och! rhag Caseg, greg rwygiant,--y drycin,
Draw accw yn y ceunant,
Ar fol pren, uwch pen pant,
Cyn 'storm yn canu 'sturmant."

Barddoniaeth R. Davies, p. 61.

My friend Mr. Richard Williams, Celynog, Newtown, translates this stanza as follows:--

Ah! 'tis the hoarse note of the Woodpecker,
In yonder ravine,
On the round trunk of a tree, above the hollow,
Sounding his horn before the coming storm.

_Yellow Hammer_. (_Penmelyn yr Eithin_).

There is a strange belief in Wales that this bird sacrifices her young to feed snakes.

_Ass_.

The stripe over the shoulders of the ass is said to have been made by our Lord when He rode into Jerusalem on an ass, and ever since the mark remains.

It was thought that the milk of an ass could cure the "decay," or consumption. This faith was common fifty years ago in Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire. I do not know whether it is so now. People then believed that ass's milk was more nutritious than other kind of food for persons whose constitutions were weak.

_The Bee_.

The little busy bee has been from times of old an object of admiration and superstition. It is thought that they are sufficiently sensitive to feel a slight, and sufficiently vindictive to resent one, and as they are too valuable to be carelessly provoked to anger, they are variously propitiated by the cottager when their wrath is supposed to have been roused. It is even thought that they take an interest in human affairs; and it is, therefore, considered expedient to give them formal notice of certain occurrences.

_Buying a Hive of Bees_.

In the central parts of Denbighshire people suppose that a hive of bees, if bought, will not thrive, but that a present of a hive leads to its well-doing.

A cottager in Efenechtyd informed the writer that a friend gave her the hive she had, and that consequently she had had luck with it; but, she added, "had I bought it, I could not have expected anything from it, for bought hives do badly." This was in the centre of Denbighshire.

_Time of Bee Swarming_.

The month in which bees swarm is considered of the greatest importance, and undoubtedly it is so, for the sooner they swarm, the longer their summer, and therefore the greater the quantity of honey which they will accumulate. A late swarm cannot gather honey from every opening flower, because the flower season will have partly passed away before they leave their old home.

This faith has found expression in the following lines:--

A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.

These words are often uttered by cottagers when a swarm takes place in the respective months named in the lines. It is really very seldom that a swarm takes place in our days in May, and many a swarm takes place in July which is of more value than a fly, But however, be this as it may, the rhyme expresses the belief of many people.

_The Day of Swarming_.

Sunday is the favourite day for bee swarming. Country people say, when looking at their bees clustering outside the hive, and dangling like a rope from it, "Oh, they won't swarm until next Sunday," and it is true that they are often right in their calculations, for bees seem to prefer the peaceful Day of Rest to all other days for their flight. The kettle and pan beating are often heard of a Sunday in those parts of the country where bees are reared. It is possible that the quietness of the day, and the cessation of every-day noise, is appreciated by the little creatures, and that this prevailing stillness entices them to take then their flight from their old home to seek a new one.

_Luck comes with a Strange Swarm_.

It is considered very lucky indeed to find that a strange swarm of bees has arrived in the garden, or tree, belonging to a cottager. The advent of the bees is joyfully welcomed, and the conversation of the neighbours on such an occasion intimates that they think that good fortune has come with them to the person whom they have condescended to honour with their presence.

Occasionally, if bees settle down on property of doubtful ownership, a good deal of wrangling and bad feeling arises between the rival claimants for their possession.

_It is considered unlucky for Bees to fly away from their owner_.

As the coming of a strange swarm of bees is indicative of good luck to the person to whom they come, so the decamping of a swarm shows that misfortune is about to visit the person whom they leave.

_Bees in a Roof_.

It was thought lucky when bees made their home in the roof, or indeed in any part of a house, and this they could easily do when houses were thatched with straw. Many a swarm of bees found shelter in the roofs of ancient churches, but in our days bees are seldom found in either houses or churches.

_Informing Bees of a Death in a Family_.

Formerly it was the custom to tell the bees of a death in the family. The head of the house whispered the news to the bees in the hive. If this were neglected, it was thought that another death would soon follow the previous one. Instead of speaking to the bees, it was the custom, in some parts of Wales, to turn the bee-hive round before starting the funeral. This was always done by the representative of the family, and it also was thought to be a protection against death.

Mrs. Jones, Rhydycroesau Rectory, informed me that an old man, David Roberts of Llanyblodwel, once came to her in deep grief, after the funeral of his grandchild, because he had forgotten to turn the bee-hive before the funeral started for the church. He said that he was in such distress at the loss of the child, that he had neglected to tell the bees of the death, and, said he, some other member of the family is now sure to go. He informed Mrs. Jones that he had turned the hive at the death of his old woman, and that consequently no death had followed hers in his family.

_Putting Bees in Mourning_.

This is done after a death in a family, and the bees are put into mourning by tying a piece of black ribbon on a bit of wood, and inserting it into the hole at the top of the hive.

_Stolen Bees_.

It was believed that stolen bees would not make honey, and that the hive which had been stolen would die.

_A Swarm entering a House_.

Should a swarm enter a house, it was considered unlucky, and usually it was a sign of death to someone living in that house.

The culture of bees was once more common than it is, and therefore they were much observed, and consequently they figure in the folk-lore of most nations.

_Cat_.

The cat was thought to be a capital weather glass. If she stood or lay with her face towards the fire, it was a sign of frost or snow; if she became frisky, bad weather was near. If the cat washed her face, strangers might be expected; and if she washed her face and ears, then rain was sure to come. A _black_ cat was supposed to bring luck to a house, thus:--

Cath ddu, mi glywais dd'wedyd,
A fedr swyno hefyd,
A chadw'r teulu lle mae'n hyw
O afael pob rhyw glefyd.

A black cat, I've heard it said,
Can charm all ill away,
And keep the house wherein she dwells
From fever's deadly sway.

Cats born in May, or May cats, were no favourites. They were supposed to bring snakes or adders into the house. This supposition has found utterance:--

Cathod mis Mai
Ddaw a nadrodd i'r tai.

Cats born in May
Bring snakes to the house.

In some parts the black cat was otherwise thought of than is stated above, for this injunction is heard:--

Na chadw byth yn nghylch dy dy
Na cheiliog gwyn na chath ddu.

Never keep about thy house
A white cock or _black_ puss.

Cats are so tenacious of life that they are said to have nine lives. We have already spoken of witches transforming themselves into cats.

A singular superstition connected with cats is the supposition that they indicate the place to which the dead have gone by ascending or descending trees immediately after the death of a person.

The Rev. P. W. Sparling, Rector of Erbistock, informed me that one day a parishioner met him, and told him that his brother, who had lately died, was in hell, and that he wished the Rector to get him out. Mr. Sparling asked him how he knew where his brother was, and in answer the man said that he knew, because he had seen his brother in the form of a white cat descend a tree immediately after his death. On further inquiry, the man stated that since the cat came _down the tree_, it was a sign that his brother had gone down to hell; but had the cat _gone up the tree_, it would have shown that he had gone up to heaven.

I have heard it stated, but by whom I have forgotten, that if a _black_ cat leaves a house where a person dies, immediately after that person's death, it shows he has gone to the bad place; but if a white cat, that he has gone to heaven.

_Cows._

_Cows Kneeling on Christmas Morn._

In the upland parishes of Wales, particularly those in Montgomeryshire, it was said, and that not so long ago, that cows knelt at midnight on Christmas eve, to adore the infant Saviour. This has been affirmed by those who have witnessed the strange occurrence.

Cows bringing forth two calves are believed to bring luck to a farmer; but in some parts of Wales a contrary view is taken of this matter.

If the new born calf is seen by the mistress of the house with its head towards her, as she enters the cowhouse to view her new charge and property, it is a lucky omen, but should any other part of the calf present itself to the mistress's view, it is a sign of bad luck.

Witches were thought to have great power over cows, and it was not unusual for farmers to think that their cows, if they did not thrive, had been bewitched.

_Crickets_.

It is lucky to have crickets in a house, and to kill one is sure to bring bad luck after it. If they are very numerous in a house, it is a sign that peace and plenty reign there. The bakehouse in which their merry chirp is heard is the place to bake your bread, for it is a certain sign that the bread baked there will turn out well.

An aged female Welsh friend in Porthywaen told me that it is a sign of death for crickets to leave a house, and she proved her case by an apt illustration. She named all the parties concerned in the following tale:--"There were hundreds of crickets in . . . house; they were 'sniving,' swarming, all about the house, and were often to be seen outside the house, or at least heard, and some of them perched on the wicket to the garden; but all at once they left the place, and very soon afterwards the son died. The crickets, she said, knew that a death was about to take place, and they all left that house, going no one knew where."

It was not thought right to look at the cricket, much less to hurt it. The warm fireplace, with its misplaced or displaced stones, was not to be repaired, lest the crickets should be disturbed, and forsake the place, and take with them good luck. They had, therefore, many snug, warm holes in and about the chimneys. Crickets are not so plentiful in Wales as they once were.

_Hare_.

_Caesar_, bk. v., ch. xii., states that the Celts "do not regard it lawful to eat the _hare_, the cock, and the goose; they, however, breed them for amusement and pleasure." This gives a respectable age to the superstitions respecting these animals.

Mention has already been made of witches turning themselves into hares. This superstition was common in all parts of North Wales. The Rev. Lewis Williams, rector of Prion, near Denbigh, told me the following tales of this belief:--A witch that troubled a farmer in the shape of a hare, was shot by him. She then transformed herself into her natural form, but ever afterwards retained the marks of the shot in her nose.

Another tale which the same gentleman told me was the following:--A farmer was troubled by a hare that greatly annoyed him, and seemed to make sport of him. He suspected it was no hare, but a witch, so he determined to rid himself of her repeated visits. One day, spying his opportunity, he fired at her. She made a terrible noise, and jumped about in a frightful manner, and then lay as if dead. The man went up to her, but instead of a dead hare, he saw something on the ground as big as a donkey. He dug a hole, and buried the thing, and was never afterwards troubled by hare or witch.

In Llanerfyl parish there is a story of a cottager who had only one cow, but she took to Llanfair market more butter than the biggest farmer in the parish. She was suspected of being a witch, and was watched. At last the watcher saw a hare with a tin-milk-can hanging from its neck, and it was moving among the cows, milking them into her tin-can. The man shot it, and it made for the abode of the suspected witch. When he entered, he found her on the bed bleeding.

It was supposed that there was something uncanny about hares. Rowland Williams, Parish Clerk, Efenechtyd, an aged man, related to me the following tale, and he gave the name of the party concerned, but I took no note of the name, and I have forgotten it:--A man on his way one Sunday to Efenechtyd Church saw a hare on its form. He turned back for his gun, and fired at the hare. The following Sunday he saw again a hare on the very same spot, and it lifted its head and actually stared at him. The man was frightened and went to church; the third Sunday he again saw a hare on the very same form, and this hare also boldly looked at him. This third appearance thoroughly convinced the man that there was something wrong somewhere, and he afterwards avoided that particular place.

The pretty legend of Melangell, called Monacella, the patroness of hares, is well known. One day the Prince of Powis chased a hare, which took refuge under the robe of the virgin Melangell, who was engaged in deep devotion. The hare boldly faced the hounds, and the dogs retired to a distance howling, and they could not be induced to seize their prey. The Prince gave to God and Melangell a piece of land to be henceforth a sanctuary. The legend of the hare and the saint is represented in carved wood on the gallery in the church of Pennant. Formerly it belonged to the screen. Hares were once called in the parish of Pennant Melangell _Wyn Melangell_, or St. Monacella's lambs. Until the last century no one in the parish would kill a hare, and it was believed that if anyone cried out when a hare was being pursued, "God and St. Monacella be with thee," it would escape.

_Haddock_.

The haddock has a dark spot on each side its gills, and superstition ascribes these marks to the impression of S. Peter's thumb and finger, when he took the tribute money out of the mouth of a fish of the same species in the sea of Galilee.

_Hedgehog_.

It was believed that hedgehogs sucked cows, and so firmly were the people convinced of this fact, that this useful little animal was doomed to death, and I have seen in many Churchwardens' accounts entries to the effect that they had paid sums of money for its destruction. The amount given in most parishes was two pence. I will give a few entries, from many that I have by me, to show that parishes paid this sum for dead hedgehogs.

In Cilcen Churchwardens' Accounts for the year 1710 I find the following entry:--

To Edward Lloyd for killing a hedgehog 00. 00. 02.

One hundred years afterwards I find in Llanasa Churchwardens' Accounts for 1810-1811 this entry:--

9 hedgogs ... ... ... 1. 6.

It was thought, should the cow's teats be swollen of a morning, that she had been sucked the previous night by a hedgehog.

Formerly dead hedgehogs could be seen in company with foxes, polecats, and other vermin suspended from the boughs of the churchyard yew trees, to prove that the Churchwardens paid for work actually done.

_Horse_.

A white horse figures in the superstition of school children. When the writer was a lad in school at Llanidloes, it was believed that if a white horse were met in the morning it was considered lucky, and should the boy who first saw the horse spit on the ground, and stealthily make the sign of a cross with his toe across the spittle, he was certain to find a coin on the road, or have a piece of money given to him before the day was over; but he was not to divulge to anyone what he had done, and for the working of the charm it was required that he should make sure that the horse was perfectly white, without any black hairs in any part of the body.

In Welshpool a like superstition prevails. Mr. Copnall, the master of the Boys' National School in that town, has kindly supplied me with the following account of this matter:--"It is lucky to meet a white horse on the road, if, when you meet it, you spit three times over your little finger; if you neglect this charm you will be unlucky. I asked the children if it signified whether it was the little finger on the right or left hand; some boys said the left, but the majority said it made no difference which hand."

It was said that horses could see spirits, and that they could never be induced to proceed as long as the spirit stood before them. They perspired and trembled whilst the spirit blocked the way, but when it had disappeared, then the horses would go on.

_Lady-bird_.

This pretty spotted little beetle was used formerly in the neighbourhood of Llanidloes as a prognosticator of the weather. First of all the lady-bird was placed in the palm of the left hand, or right; I do not think it made any difference which hand was used, and the person who held it addressed it as follows:--

Iar fach goch, gwtta,
Pa un ai gwlaw, neu hindda?

and then having said these words, the insect was thrown skywards, the person repeating the while--

Os mai gwlaw, cwympa lawr,
Os mai teg, hedfana;

which in English would be--

Lady-bird, lady-bird, tell to me
What the weather is going to be;
If fair, then fly in the air,
If foul, then fall to the ground.

The first two lines were said with the beetle in the hand, and the last two whilst it was thrown upwards; if it came to the ground without attempting to fly, it indicated rain; if, however, when thrown into the air it flew away, then fair weather was to be expected. The writer has often resorted to this test, but whether he found it true or false he cannot now say.

_Mice_.

A mouse nibbling clothes was a sign of disaster, if not death, to the owner. It was thought that the evil one occasionally took the form of a mouse. Years ago, when Craig Wen Farm, Llawr-y-glyn, near Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire was haunted--the rumour of which event I well remember--the servant girl told her mistress, the tenant of the farm, that one day she was going through the corn field, and that a mouse ran before her, and she ran after it to catch it, but that when she was opposite the barn, _the mouse stopped and laughed at her_, and ran into a hole. The mouse, therefore, was the evil spirit, and the cause of all the mischief that followed.

_Moles_.

Moles are said to have no eyes. If mole hills move there will be a thaw. By the moving of mole hills is meant bits of earth tumbling off the mound. A labourer in Llanmerewig parish, Montgomeryshire, called my attention to this fact. It was a frosty day, and apparently no change was near, but it will thaw, said he, and certain I am, that by the next morning a thaw had set in.

_Pigs_.

Pigs used to be credited with the power of seeing the wind. Devils were fond of assuming the form of, or entering into, pigs. Pigs littered in February could not be reared. This I was told by a native of Llansantffraid, Montgomeryshire.

_The Snake_, _Serpent_.

The snake was supposed to be able to understand what men said. A tale was told me by an aged man at Penrhos, Montgomeryshire, of an event which took place in the last century. His father, he said, saw a number of snakes, or _nethers_, as he called them, basking in the sun, and he said when passing them, "I will make you jump to-morrow." The next day he, provided with a rod, passed the spot, but no adder could be seen. The next day he passed again the same spot without his rod, and the man was now obliged to run for his life, so furiously did the snakes attack him.

Traditions of Flying Snakes were once common in all parts of Wales.

_Flying Serpents_.

The traditional origin of these imaginary creatures was that they were snakes, which by having drunk the milk of a woman, and by having eaten of bread consecrated for the Holy Communion, became transformed into winged serpents or dragons.

These dangerous creatures had their lurking places in many districts, and they attacked everyone that crossed their paths. There was said to have been one such den on Moel Bentyrch. Old Mrs. Davies, Plas, Dolanog, who died 1890, aged 92, told the Rev. D. R. Evans, B.A., son of the Vicar of Dolanog, that once, when she was a young woman, she went to Llanfair market, and on the way she sat on a stile, and she saw smoke and fire issuing from a hole on Moel Bentyrch, where the _Gwiber_, or Flying Serpent, had its abode. She ran, and never stopped until she had placed a good distance between her and the hill. She believed that both the smoke and fire were caused by the serpent. There is also a tradition still current in Dolanog that this flying serpent was destroyed by wrapping some red material round a post into which sharp nails were driven. The serpent, attacking this post with furious onslaughts, was lacerated by the sharp spikes, and died. A like tradition is current in Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant in connection with the _Post Coch_, or _Post-y-Wiber_, or Maen Hir y Maes-Mochnant.

Mr. Hancock in his "History of Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant," writes as follows:--

"The legend connected with this stone pillar is, that it was raised
in order to prevent the devastation which a winged serpent or dragon
(a _Wiber_) was committing in the surrounding country. The stone was
draped with scarlet cloth, to allure and excite the creature to a
furor, scarlet being a colour most intolerably hateful and provoking
to it. It was studded with iron spikes, that the reptile might wound
or kill itself by beating itself against it. Its destruction, it is
alleged, was effected by this artifice. It is said to have had two
lurking places in the neighbourhood, which are still called
_Nant-y-Wiber_, one at Penygarnedd, the other near Bwlch Sychtyn, in
the parish of Llansilin, and this post was in the direct line of its
flight. Similar legends referring to winged serpents exist in
various parts of Wales. In the adjoining parish of
Llanarmon-Dyffryn-Ceiriog there is a place called _Sarffle_ (the
serpent's hole)."--_Montgomeryshire Collections_, vol. ix., 237.

_Snake Rings_, _or Glain Nadroedd_.

Mention is made in _Camden_ of snake rings. Omitting certain remarks not connected with the matter directly, he writes:--"In some parts of Wales we find it a common opinion of the vulgar that about Midsummer Eve (though in the time they do not all agree) 'tis usual for snakes to meet in companies, and that by joyning heads together and hissing, a kind of Bubble is form'd like a ring about the head of one of them, which the rest by continual hissing, blow on till it comes off at the tail, and then it immediately hardens, and resembles a glass ring; which whoever finds (as some old women and children are persuaded) shall prosper in all his undertakings." The above quotation is in Gibson's additions to Camden, and it correctly states the popular opinion. Many of these rings formerly existed, and they seemed to be simply glass rings. They were thought to possess many healing virtues, as, for instance, it could cure wens and whooping cough, and I believe I have heard it said that it could cure the bite of a mad dog.

_Sheep_.

It was thought that the devil could assume any animal's form excepting that of the sheep. This saying, however, is somewhat different from what a farmer friend told me of _black sheep_. He said his father, and other farmers as well, were in the habit of killing all their black lambs, because they were of the same colour as the devil, and the owners were afraid that Satan had entered, or would enter into them, and that therefore these sheep were destroyed. He stated that his father went on his knees on the ground and prayed, either before or after he had killed the black lambs. It is a common saying that the black sheep is the ringleader of all mischief in a flock of sheep. The expression, "He is a black sheep," as applied to a person, conveys the idea that he is a worthless being, inclined to everything that is bad.

It is even now in country places thought to be a lucky omen if anyone sees the head of the first spring lamb towards him. This foretells a lucky and prosperous year to the person whose eyes are thus greeted.

_Spider_.

The long-legged spider, or, as it is generally called in Wales, the Tailor, is an object of cruel sport to children. They catch it, and then handle it roughly, saying the while:--

Old Harry long-leg
Cannot say his prayers,
Catch him by the right leg,
Catch him by the left leg.
And throw him down stairs;

and then one leg after the other is plucked off, and the poor creature is left to die miserably. This was done in Llanidloes.

_The Squirrel_.

Hunting this sprightly little animal became at Christmas the sport of our rustic population. A number of lads gathered together, and proceeded to the woods to hunt the squirrel. They followed it with stones and sticks from tree to tree, shouting and screaming, to frighten it on and on, until it was quite unable to make further progress, and then they caught it. The writer, when a lad, has often joined in this cruel hunt, but whether the squirrel was killed when caught he is unable to recall to mind. Generally it escaped.

_The Blind Worm_, _or Slow Worm_.

This reptile is a snake, varying from twelve to eighteen inches long. Its head is small, and its movements very rapid. At the slightest noise, it darts away in a moment, and hides among rocks, stones, or rank grass. It is said to have no eyes, but this is a popular mistake--hence, however, its name, _Blind Worm_. This beautiful timid creature is often wantonly cut into pieces by its cruel and mistaken captors, for they credit it with the possession of evil propensities. It is said that, could it see, it would be a formidable enemy to man and beast. This supposition has found strength and sanction in doggerel verse. The Blind Worm is said to address the adder as follows:--

If I could see,
As well as thee,
Man nor beast
Should ne'er pass me.

Another version of these lines, heard in Shropshire, on the borders of Wales, is:--

If I had one eye,
As thou hast two,
No man should live,
Nor beast should loo (low).

These doggerel lines indicate clearly the dread in which this innocent snake is held.

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

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Acton, T. A., Regent Street, Wrexham

Adcane, Miss, Plas Llanfawr, Holyhead

Andrews, Mr Wm., _The Hull Press_, 1, Dock Street, Hull

Arnold, Prof. E. P., M.A., 10, Bryn Teg, Bangor

B

Ballinger, John, Mr., Cardiff Free Library, Cardiff

Barnes, J. R., Esq., The Quinta, Chirk

Bennett, Edgar, Esq., 2, Court Ash, Yeovil

Bennett, N., Esq., Glanyrafon, Llanidloes

Bangor, The Lord Bishop of, The Palace, Bangor, N.W.

Bowen, Alfred E., Esq., Town Hall, Pontypool

Bryan, B., Esq., Pen-lan, Ruthin

Bryan, R. F., Esq.,

Bury, Mrs., Ellesmere, Shropshire

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Chapman, Henry, Mr., Dolfor School, Near Newtown

Cunliffe, R., Esq., Llanrhaiadr Hall, Denbigh

D

Daniels, Rev. J., Curate, Carmarthen

Davies-Cooke, Philip B., Esq., Gwysanny, Mold

Davies, Rev. L. W., Manafon Rectory, Welshpool

Davies, Rev. D. W., M.A., The Vicarage, St. Asaph

Davies, Rev. Joseph, B.A., Curate, Holywell

Davies, Rev. C. H., M.A., Tregarth, Bangor

Davies, Rev. E. T., B.A., The Vicarage, Pwllheli

Davies, Rev. J., B.A., Bryneglwys Vicarage, Corwen

Davies, Rev. J. J., Machynlleth

Davies, W. Cadwaladr, Esq., Penybryn, Bangor, N. Wales

Davies, Rev. T. R., Curate, The Hut, Farnham Royal, Windsor

Davies, Thos. Mr., Draper, 121, High Holborn, London

Davies, Rev. T. A., B.A.,

D'Erisleigh, R. S., Esq., Salisbury College, Stoneycroft, Liverpool

Drinkwater, Rev. C. H., St. George's Vicarage, Shrewsbury

Duckworth, Thos., Esq., Librarian, Worcester Public Library, Worcester

E

Edwards, Rev. D., M.A., Vicarage, Rhyl

Edwards, Mr. R., Litherland, Near Liverpool

Edwards, T. C., D.D., Principal, College, Bala

Edwards, Rev R, Rectory, Bettws, Gwerfil Goch, Near Corwen

Edwards, Rev. E. J., B.A., Vicar, Tremeirchion, St. Asaph

Elias, Miss Elizabeth, 2, Chapel Street, Conway

Ellis, Rev. Robert, The Rectory, Llansannan, Abergele

Evans, Mr. E., School House, Gwernaffield, Mold

Evans, Rev. E., The Vicarage, Llanarmon, Mold

Evans, Rev. J. T., Bettws Vicarage, Abergele

Evans, Rev. J., B.A., Tallarn Green, Malpas

Evans, Rev. D. W., M.A., St. George's Vicarage, Abergele

Evans, Rev. T. H., Minera Vicarage, Wrexham

Evans, Rev. W., B.A., 5, King Street, Aberystwyth

Evans, Rev. J. O., M.A., Peterston Rectory, Cardiff

Evans, Rev. J. Silas, B.A., Vicarage, St. Asaph

Evans, J. G. Esq., 7, Clarendon Villa, Oxford

Evans, J. E., Esq., 12, Albion Road, South Hampstead, London, N.W.

Evans, Mr. Arthur,

F

Felix, Rev. John, Cilcen Vicarage, Mold

Fisher, Rev. J., B. A., Ruthin

Fletcher, Miss Fanny Lloyd, Nerquis Hall, Mold

Fletcher, Rev. W. H., M.A., The Vicarage, Wrexham

G

Gardner, H., Esq., C. 18, Exchange, Liverpool

George, Rev. T., B.A., Nerquis Vicarage, Mold

Gilbert, T. H., Esq., 129, Cheapside, London, E.C.

Green, Rev. G. K. M., Exhall Rectory, Alcester, Redditch

Griffith, Rev. D., B.A., Clocaenog Rectory, Ruthin

Griffith, H. J. Lloyd, M.A, Frondeg, Holyhead

H

Haines, W., Esq., Y Bryn, Near Abergavenny

Harland, E. Sydney, Esq., Barnwood Court, Gloucester

Harper, W. J., Mr., Wern Shop, Rhosesmor, Holywell

Hope, John H., Mr., National School, Holywell

Hughes, Rev. H. T., M.A., Bistre Vicarage, Chester

Hughes, Rev. T., M.A., Buttington Vicarage, Near Welshpool

Hughes, H., Mr., Glyn National School, Llangollen

Hughes, T. G., Esq., 47, Everton Road, Liverpool

Hughes, Rev. Jonathan,

Hughes, Rev. Morgan, Derwen Rectory, Corwen

Humphreys, Mr. W. R, School House, Penycae, Ruabon

J

James, Rev. E. R, R.D., The Rectory, Marchwiel, Wrexham

James, Rev. D. Pennant, Rectory, Oswestry

Jenkins, Rev. W., Chaplain of H.M. Prison, Ruthin

Jenkins, Rev. J., B.A., Bodawen, Penmaenmawr

Jenkins, Rev. L. D., B.A., Penycae Vicarage, Ruabon

Johnson, Mr. R., National Provincial Bank, Mold

Jones, Rev. D., Llanberis Rectory, Carnarvon

Jones, Rev. D., Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant Vicarage, Oswestry

Jones, Sir Pryce Pryce, Dolerw, Newtown

Jones, Pryce Edward, Esq., M.P., Newtown Hall, Newtown

Jones, Rev. J. Thompson, B.A., Towyn Vicarage, Abergele

Jones, Rev. W., M.A., Trofarth Vicarage, Abergele

Jones, Prof. J. Morris, M.A., University College, Bangor

Jones, Rev. Rees, Carrog Rectory, Corwen

Jones, Rev. Hy., M.A., Llanychan Rectory, Ruthin

Jones, Dr. A. Emrys, 10, Saint John Street, Manchester

Jones, Miss M., Bryn Siriol, Mold

Jones, Rev. Evan

Jones, Rev. Jno., Curate, Llanbedr, Ruthin

Jones, Rev. G. J., Curate of Ysceifiog, Holywell

Jones, Mr. H. W., Tanyberllan, Penmaenmawr

Jones, Rev. Stephen, Curate, Mold

Jones, Rev. W., Curate of Northop, Flintshire

Jones, Mr. Powell, School House, Llanelidan, Ruthin

Jones, Rev. Pierce, Aber Rectory, Bangor

Jones, Rev. Griffith Arthur, M.A., St. Mary's, Cardiff

Jones, Rev. Griffith, The Vicarage, Mostyn, Holywell

Jones, Lewis, Esq., _Journal_ Office, Rhyl

Jones, J. R, Delbury School, Craven Arms, Salop

Jones, Mr. T., The Schools, Ffynnongroyw, Holywell, N.W.

Jones, Mr. J. E., National School, Llawr y Bettws, Corwen

Jones, Mr. L. P., National Schools, Rhosesmor, Holywell

Jones, Rev. Enoch, M.A.

Jones, Rev. W., Llanasa Vicarage, Holywell

Jones, F., Esq., Pyrocanth House, Ruthin

Jones, R. Prys, Esq., B.A., Board School, Denbigh

Jones, Rev. Wynne, M.A., Rhosddu, Wrexham

K

Kenrick, Mr. Robert, 24, Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth

L

Lewis, Rev. D., Rectory, Merthyr Tydfil

Lewis, Rev. H. Elvet, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire

Lewis, Dr., Llansantffraid, Oswestry

Lewis, Rev. J. P., The Vicarage, Conway

Lindsay, W. M., Esq., Librarian, Jesus College, Oxford

Lloyd, Rev. T. H., M.A., Vicarage, Llansantffraid-yn-Mechain, Oswestry

Lloyd, Rev. John, The Rectory, Dolgelley

Lloyd, E. O. V., Esq., M.A., Rhaggatt, Corwen

Lloyd, Rev. L. D., B.A., Curate, Rhosddu, Wrexham

Lloyd, Rev. T., B.A., The Rectory, Bala

Lloyd, John Edward, Professor, M.A., University College, Bangor

Luxmore, E. B., Esq., Bryn Asaph, St. Asaph

M

Mainwaring, Col., Galltfaenan, Trefnant, R.S.O., N. Wales

Marsh, Miss Ellen, late of Tybrith, Carno, Mont.

M'Gonigle, Rev. T. G., Weston, Shrewsbury

M'Gormick, Rev. T. H. J., Holy Trinity, Ilkestone, Derbyshire

Minshall, P. H., Esq., Solicitor, Oswestry

Morgan, Rev. John, M.A., Rectory, Llandudno

Morris, Edward, Esq., M.A., Copthorne House, Ruthin Road, Wrexham

Morris, Rev. John., M.A., The Rectory, Llanelidan, Ruthin

Muspratt, Miss, Trelawney, Flint

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Nayler-Leyland, Mrs., Nantclwyd Hall, Ruthin

Nicholas, Rev. W. Ll., M.A., Flint Rectory, Flint

Nixon and Jarvis, Bank Place, Bangor

Nutt, David, 270, Strand, London, W.C.

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Oldfield, J. E., Esq., B.A., Fferm, Bettws, Abergele

Owen, Rev. R. M., M.A., The Vicarage, Bagillt

Owen, Mr, School House, Burton, Gresford

Owen, E. H., Esq., F.S.A., Ty Coch, Nr. Carnarvon

Owen, Rev. E. J., Penmaen Villa, Llanfairfechan, Carnarvonshire

Owen, Rev, T., B.A., Curate, Rhosllanerchrugog, Ruabon

Owen, Hon. Mrs. Bulkeley, Tedsmore

Owen, Isambard, M.D., 5, Hertford Street, Mayfair, London, W.

Owen, Rev. W. P., B.A., Curate, Holy Trinity, Oswestry