, 1888-02-02
IRELAND'S FOLK LORE.
REVERENCE FOR ANIMALS MENTION
ED IN THE SCRIPTURES.


Popular superstitions Connected with
Christmas-wicked Work of the "Dara
DaoI"-Licking n L~izard-Curious Gus
TOMBSTONE Signs of Ill Fortune.
rope, many curious ideas about almost
everything that is seen or heard in ordi-
nary life have been handed down from
parent to child. Beasts, birds and in
sects are regarded with superstitious fear
or favor, and when any object has its
mention in Scripture the popular belief in
its good or evil influence is materially
strengthened.
The OK and the ass, MS appearing fire.
quently in the Bible, are always highly
regarded, and, as it is the general belief
that our Saviour selected the ass to ride
upon on account of the cross on his back,
that animal is looked upon with signal es-
TEEN. 1t is considered lucky to have one
of his species in a field with cattle, as the
mark of the cross is n certain safeguard
against malicious witch or wanton fairy.
But this tunat animal can do more
than ward off evil spirits. He can tell
Christmas as unerringly rs q schoolboy,
and every Christmas eve he falls down at
midnight and brays three times in honor
of the approaching dawn. If this fact DO
doubted there are always plenty of wit
nesses who ave kept awake to see the oc-
currence and who have seen it frequently.
The cock is regarded with similar rev.
erence on account of the scene between
Christ and st. Peter, and is believed to be
as well aware of the joy of Christmas
as the ass, and in consequence crows dur
ing n good part of the nine nights proceed
ing the Christian festival. The growing
of a hen, that Mt any other time would be
n most unlucky omen, is then all right, rs
1T is then supposed to share in the Joy of
thee cock at the coming of Christmas.
AFRAID OF A PARA DAEL.
The dubh dael, or dara dael, is n black
insect of the earwig class; the meaning of
the name in English is the black or other
devil. In creeping along, whenever it
hears any noise, it always halts, cocks up
its tail and protrudes its sting, which is
similar to that of the bee. No reptile has
been so much abhorred or dreaded by the
%peasantry of Ireland as the dara dael, and
legends of its evil doings abound. Its
wicked work began at n very early day.
1t is said to have eaten the core of the
apple thrown away by Eve, and to his
day n strong smell of apples is perceived
when it is crushed, for it is always to DO
crushed by II stone or lump of iron, which
must be hurled at the vermin, us other
wise the DEVILS essence would be con-
NhAou5h hA1 IithlullA VI NOOl VI
leather held in the destroyer's hand. Iron
and stones are deemed non-conductors.
TIL Irish boys and women, when they
throw the stones, generally cXclaim: MA
shocht paca agus ma paCa morrio urth'-
/. C., my seven sins and my deadly sin
upon you" The allusion in the cxclama-
ton is to another legend, which claims
that the dara dael acted as n spy upon
Christ and told his enemies where he
went. Judas, on his way to betray
Christ, is said to have met II number of
dara daels, who turned up their tails to
indicate the way the Saviour had gone.
The liZard-in Irish, aire luichair,
which literally translated means 'the pig
of the rushes"-is held in esteem for its
curative powers. When caught, the per-
son who is anxious to receive the curative
power takes the aire luichair in his hand,
ticks the creature all overhead, feet,
belly, legs, sidesa and tail; and the tongue
of the person who thus ticks the aire lui-
chair is said ever aftcrward to possess the
power of taking the sting and pain out of
n burn. There is also an idea that tho
aire luichair, or newt, is always on the
watch to crawl down the throat of any
person who happens to fall asleep out of
doors.