Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/336

 3o8 Collectanea.

Jacketty War. Some shepherds moving about with lights at lambing time were taken for "Jacketty War," the only name by which Will o' the Wisp was known to the fisherman's daughter who told me this in igio.

South Devon. — Nickna^jies. " They do call us ' Beesands owls ' and ' Chillington rooks,' " said a village woman at Beesands.

Appledore, N. Devon. — An old tooth. Little May Lamie, a fisherman's child, told me that she had just lost one of her teeth. She threw it over her shoulder and said, "Please God, send me a new tooth." (Aug. 1914.)

Ghost at the river-side. Some of the fisher people of this little town at the mouth of the Torridge believe that a ghost called "Jack o' the White Hat" is sometimes heard at night, shouting "Boat ahoy !" across the ferry. When the boatman goes across, no man is to be seen. I could not learn that it is looked upon as an omen of any coming disaster, or that it is heard at any particular times, (From farmer's daughter at Appledore.)

Salisbury district, Wilts. — Unlucky to shoot a cuckoo. There was a farmer who once shot a cuckoo. Ever after, he was always taken with some illness in cuckoo-time, and he eventually died at that season. Everyone said it was a judgment on him.

(From a postmistress formerly near Salisbury, now at Minchinhampton, Glos.)

Sopworth, Wilts. — Taking photograph unlucky. An old couple from Sopworth drove over to see some friends near Stroud. The master of the house wanted to take their photograph, in the cart, but they begged him not to think of such a thing, as their last horse died very soon after having his photograph taken. This was in 1910 or 1911.

(From the amateur photographer himself.)

Minchinhampton, G-loucestershire.— Weather omen. One day this October I made some remark to a gardener about the long- continued fine weather. "It's on account of the war," he said. " We always gets a spell of fine weather when there's a war on Didn't you know that? It was just the same at the time of the Russian war — fine frosty days for weeks together."