Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 13, 1902.djvu/87

 Collectanea. 75

" A laxative. — ' Sheep-pearls,' i.e. the droppings of sheep dis- solved in water and drunk. My informant has seen mothers administer this dose to their children. Near Lochlomond." (MS. note by the late Dr. Gregor.)

" Tricklings [tr'ik-linz], sb. sheep's dung — Pulverbatch. It was formerly — before the age of vaccination — a popular belief that ' ship's tricklin's,' duly administered, would cure the small-pox. ' Bessy, yo' mind as Granny dunna put ship's tricklin's i' my yarb- tay. I canna tak' it if 'er does — nod if I'm marked ever so.' " G. F. Jackson, Shropshire Word-Book^ p. 453, s.v.

I hope to deal with the information given in the second Blue- book in a future number.

Alice B. Gomme.

The Sister's Son in Samoa. {Co/nmiaiicated by Mr. A?idreiv Lang.)

When I was at Apia in Samoa with Commodore Goodenough in the Fear/, in 1873, I met the American Consul, who had married a Samoan, and who told me the following story of a custom called Vasu which prevailed in the islands as regards the rights of a nephew to his uncle's property.

There was a chief called " Bullamacow," who came to see his uncle and admired very much a bread-fruit house ^ he had just put up. The uncle said it had cost him a great deal, in fact nearly ruined him. Bullamacow said he thought it would look well in his " square." The uncle then said, " Pray, don't say that." However Bullamacow would not change his mind. All this meant that the uncle was to give Bullamacow his house, which he did not quite see.

So the nephew goes away disappointed. But a few days after this someone comes to the uncle's house, and says to one of the children, "Where is your mother?" and he answers, "Bullamacow has taken her away," as is the custom in these cases. The uncle

' A house for the storage of bread-fruit.