Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 8, 1897.djvu/40

 1 8 Minutes of Meeting.

success. The only thing that can injure them is a silver bullet made from a sixpence or a shilling. I have heard that where they have been wounded by such fired from a gun, instead of the ordinary lead-pellets, on following up the wounded animal it was found in the form of a woman, seated with injured arm or leg in the corner of her own dwelling-house.

Old horse-shoes nailed inside doors are quite common. They are said to act as a preventive against the spells of the witches. When churning, the tongs are put in the fire, or a piece of heated iron is put under the churn, and kept there till the operation is finished. Also a piece of hair- rope is sometimes put round the vessel. Several times have I heard men and women complain that they might churn for days but could get no butter, owing to the spells of the witches. The buttermilk too was frothy and fulsome in taste and smellj and could not be used.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th, 1896. The President (Mr. Edward Clodd) in the Chair.

The minutes of the last general meeting were read and confirmed.

The resignation of Lady Lewis, Mr. T. Heath Joyce, and Mr. Ulrico Hoepli were reported.

The election of the following new members was announced : Miss E. Wills, Miss Jessie L. Weston, Mrs. Sidgwick, Pro- fessor W. P. Ker, Mr. G. G. Traherne, Mr. A. Macgregor, Mr. S. G. Asher, Mr. L. Goldmerstein.

Miss M. Ffennell exhibited (i) a charm of invulnerability, (2) a witch charm, offensive and defensive, and (3) a pair of shears and mangala stand used in the tonsorial rite, all from Siam ; and a short explanatory paper written by her (see p. 88) was read by the President.