Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/242

 2 20 Collectanea.

Bees storing a great amount of bee-bread. (This cannot be Indian.)

Burrowing animals making deep burrows (C).

Squirrels laying in a large store of nuts (C).

Several layers of husk on the corn (C). ("Corn" in this country always means maize, never wheat.)

When the first snow falls, count the number of days to Christmas ; this will indicate the total number of snow-storms for the winter.

Three white frosts in succession presage rain.

The last Friday and Saturday of each month foretell the weather of the next month \ as they are warm or cold, rainy or fine, etc., so it will be. (I have met this belief elsewhere in Ontario.)

A clear sunset on Friday means a storm before Monday night. (Communicated by another old resident of Napanee.)

Friday is either the fairest or the foulest day of the week.

When the leaves on the trees turn wrong way up in a wind, it will rain (C). (This is also Yorkshire.)

If the Great Bear, generally called the Dipper, is visible, it will not rain : or, in general, if the stars are out (C).

2. Moon beliefs.

The moon controls the weather to some extent. According as it lies far north or south in the heavens, the weather will be warm or cold ; if the crescent moon lies supine, there will he dry weather till the next phase ; rain, if it stands upright.

A halo around the moon indicates a storm coming; the number of stars visible within the halo equals the number of days till the storm arrives.

If you wish your hair to grow quickly, cut it in the new moon; for slow growth, cut it in the wane.^

Kill hogs in the new moon, for then their meat will not grow less in cooking.

To ensure a good crop of potatoes, plant them at full moon.

To see the new moon over the right shoulder betokens good luck, which may be conditional on hard work; over the left shoulder, bad luck but no hard work ; straight ahead, very good luck.

Always wish on a new moon (C).

^ Cf. vol. xxiii., p. 345.