The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1882-04-20
The superstitlons Of Fishermen.

Of the numerous other practices in
use among the fishing fraternity for Sc
curing good luck, we are told that on the
highest mound of the hill above Weston
super-Mare is d heap of stones, to which
every fisherman in his daily walk to
Sand Bay, KewstOke, contributed one
toward his day good fishing. A curious
custom was, in years gone by, observed
at Filey in connection with the herring
fishery. During the time the fishing
boats were at sea the junior portion of
the inhabitants seized all the unem-
plOyed wagons and carts they could find
and dragged them down the streets to
the cliff S top, leaving them to be owned
and taken away by their respective
owners ON the following morning. This
was done about the third Saturday night
after the boats had sailed from Filey,
under a superstitious notion that it drove
the herrings into the nets. In Corn
wall it is considered unluclly by fisher
men for any one to eat pilchards-or in
deed, any kind of fish-from the head
downward, as such an act is said to be
''sure to turn the heads of the fish away
from the coasts" The proper way is
rather to eat the fish from the tail to-
ward the head, this serving as a kind of
charm to insure good luck to the fisher
man and bring him large quantities of
fish to shore. Again, when there is a
large catch of pilchards, they are pre-
served bv being rubbed with salt, and
are placed in regular order, one on the
other, heads and tails alternately. When
so placed, the fish often make a squeak
ing noise, which is locally called "cry-
ing for more" and is regarded as a most
favorable omen, being supposed to indi-
cate that more fish may soon be expected
to be brought to the same cellar. The
noise, however, which is heard is really
produced, says Mr.. Hunt, by the burst
ing Of the air bladders, and when many
break tOgether-Which is not unusual
when hundreds Of thousands are piled in
a mass-the sound is a loud one.
Among some of the superstitious no
iOns relating to success in fishing which
formerly prevailed in Ireland and have
not yet quite died out, we may mention
the following, current in Ulster: To
meet certain persons in the morning,
and especially barefooted women, was
deemed an omen Of ill-fOrtune for that
day. To name a dog cat, rat or pig,
while batting the hooks, also forebOded
ill-luck. The fishermen always spat on
the first and last hook 0aited, and also
in the mouth of the first fish taken. Be
fore casting their nets or lines they
dipped them in the water three times
and each time gave a kind Of chirp with
the lips, resembling that Of young bird
The fishermen, too, were accustomed tC
light a small fire Of chips in their boats
to drive away, as they supposed, any
witches that might have harbOred ther,
during the night 10 frustrate their Fuc
cess. The customs pracdced by -th,
Scotch fishermen for obtaining good lucl
are equally curious Thus, jim the Bant
Journal of 1855, it is related that, in con
sequence of the herring fishing beins
very backward, some Of tle fishermen o
Buckle dressed a cooper IN flannel shirt
with burrs stuck an over IL, and in thi
condition he was carried in procession
] through the town in ahandbaIrOW Ihi
was done 10 ''bring better luck'' to tn
fishing, and happened In a district, say
the writer, containing no less than nin