Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/273

 Collectanea. 245

that some one of the servants had robbed her of it, so she sent for a man skilled in magic. She told him in the presence of the whole household that she had lost her diamond ring, and asked him if he could discover who had robbed her. The wizard answered in the affirmative, and asked for a white cock, which must not have a single coloured feather. The cock having been procured, the wise man covered it over with a large, soot- blackened, copper boiler. The lights were then removed from the room, and all the servants ordered into another room ; they were to return in turn and touch the boiler ; on the boiler being touched by the guilty person, the wise man said, the white cock would crow three times. The servant who had stolen the ring thought that, in the darkness, he would avoid following the instructions of the wise man, fearing that the cock would crow. When the wizard examined all their hands he found one that had not been blackened, which indicated the guilty person.

Eri/ eve. — Several examples are recorded of men and women in the island who had the power of the evil eye. The power was so strong that if, when milking, they but glanced at the milk in the pail, it would turn sour before it reached the dairy. If a witch had a grudge against a farmer's wife and should cast her evil eye on the churn, when churning was in progress, no butter would come ; a fact known to me.

Fairies. — Jersey was formerly, according to tradition, the land of the "fairies," and the race is still believed to exist, — some being good, and some bad. Good fairies have been known to assist servants in their household work. The belief is still current that, if a servant has not quite finished her work, and, when she goes to bed, leaves a piece of cake upon the kitchen table, she will find, when she comes down in the morning, her previous day's work finished, and also a great part of the present day's work accomplished. Again, people who want help with their needle- work must, in the evening, leave on the table needles, cotton, etc., so that the fairies may be enabled to assist them during the night. Bad fairies cause people to lose their way and make them walk round and round in circles.

Omens arid portents. — The following common English beliefs are current in Jersey : — If your nose itches, it is a sure sign that