Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-18
Rural "FOlk.Lore.o

There is scattered among the rural pop
ulation in England, says magazine writer,
a large amount of that sort of knowledge
called folklore" A few examples, taken
almost at random from the FOLKLORE " of
the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire,
are as follows:
1T is generally believed that the the
cuckoo sucks the eggs of birds, and that
when that kind of food fails the cuckoo
looses bis voice:
And he sucks little birds eggs to make his voice
cleari"
ut is believed in some parts that the
cuckoo, having no further occasion for the
services of his foster-parents. repays them
for their kindness by swallowing them.
the ancient Greeks and Romans. Aristotle
believed it, and Shakespeare alludes to this
article of folk lore twice: once in the
tragedy of king Lear The old, doting
king had stripped himself of his crown and
kingdom, and given them to his two
coldly on the father, and to seek cause of
quarrel with him; and during pause in
her Indictment, the fool says:
".For you know, nuncle, the hedge
sparrow fed the cuckoo SO long that it had
its head bit off by its young; so out went
the candle, and we were left darkling.'
And again, in the first part of king Henry
broken promises, says:
"'And being fed by us. you used us so,
AS thst upgentle gull the cuckoos bird
useth the sparrow; did oppress our nest.
That even our love burst not come near your sight
For fear of swallowing.-Act s. SO.
In the same play the king, g,speaking of Rich
ard H.. says:
e He hut q cuckoo is in June .'-5ct 3, &C.
That is, he was common, and he had lost
to-, 81
voice of the suffering cuckoo, no longer
commanding attention. except to be un-
favorably cOntrasted with its former per-
lection. Richard, when he began his reign,
was the nations idol: Pomiret tells the
rest.
z srhe old fallacy of the cuckoo wintering
here is not yet exploded. 1t Is also be-
lieved that if you have any money in your
pocket. when you first hear the cuckoo,
and turn it over, you will have good luck
for the next twelve months. May not the
expression turning a penny have arisen
from this old relic of 'folk-lore?' Some
persons take out their money when they
first hear the welcome cry, and spit upon
it for good luck. Splitting for good luck
on the first money taken during the day is
very common; this money is popularity
called 'hansel' Tettigo,sia spumaria the froth
exuded from the body of which is found so
common upon grass in the summer months
is said by some to be cuckoo spit, while
others call it toad spit. 'Scabbed as a
cuckoo is Yorkshire saying, alluding,
suppose, to the great quantity of scurt
which comes off the young birds.
1.-The lady-bird (CoccineHe) is eagerly
sought after by country boys, who believe,
or profess to believe, that the price of
corn for the next year will be as many
shillings per bushel as there are dots on
the wing cases of this little insect. In our
rambles we often see young Rusticus with
one on his finger end, to which he sings
the old rhyme:
Lady bird lady-birdl fly away homei
Your house is on Ere. and all your banes gone!
Lady-bird! Iady-bird !! fly away home.
Fly away! fly away !! fly away home!!!'
docks (Rune1 sp.) are remedy against
the sting of nettle. You must take the
leaf of the dock, and rub it well on the place
n,ttled. saying nine times 'Docken in, nettle
OUT Rocks do not breed until two years
old. Birds pair on St. Valentines day,
and do not build on Holy Thursday.
Hedgehogs suck milk from cows. Eels are
not in season when beans are i'm flower
and beanswads rubbed well into q wart are
cure for it. The latter remedy is fire.
quently applied with success.
.'Pigeon-feathers are never used fol
beds or pillows; it being an article of folk
bore that a person cannot die in such q
bed. but that his agonies are prolonged
1t is also believed that death most fire.
quently takes place on the turn OF the
tIde."