The Bessemer indicator., 1893-05-13
sUPERsTITIOUs CURIOs.
PECULIAR POWERS OF CATS
AND CUCKOOS.
Cats Aro Often Connected With Witch
ornft. While tho Cnckoos Are As.
soclstcd With Ideas of
Milder Character.

In the bardic legends and old folk
lore of Ireland we now and then meet
with a paragraph or phrase of ma
tional character which arrests our
thoughts. Much there may be TO
feed and stimulate the enthusiasm of
the ardent searcher after the mystic
and the weird: but the ordinary NOR
tai of hard work day life may be
thankful II chance throw q few items
in his way without having first to
CLEAN them out OF the obscure notes
and tho long. dull heavy pages OF
prosy compilations. Like some other
nations, the Irish invested even the
lowest forms Of animal life with the
power of exercising no small influ-
ence on the actions and destinies OF
man. The dara dell Qorficula. oleus,
or black deviD, an insect Of the ear
wig class, used to be an object of
almost universal abhorrence, yet its
services were sometimes availed OF
in labor which demanded extraor-
binary physical exertion. In creep
ing along, whenever it hears any
noise it always halts, cocks up its
tail, and jerks out Its sting, which is
similar to that OF a bee.
No reptile has been so much alb
horred and dreaded by the peasantry
as the black devil, as it used to be
commonly believed that this insect
betrayed to His jewish enemies tho
way in which the Savior went when
leaving the city OF Jerusalem. II
was no small gain to destroy this in
sect; for seven sins, it was said. were
taken off the soul OF the slayer. The
people believed the sting OF tho dara
devil to be very poisonous, il not
mortal, and that it possessed do
moniac spirit. Under this impress
sion, whenever it is seen in house
by the peasantry, they always de-
stroy it by placing q coal Of fire over
it. and, when burned the ashes are
carefully swept out.
1t Is not trOdden on by foot as
less formidable insect would be, nor
is it killed by u stick. for it is be-
lieved that the poisonous or demon
lac essence would be conveyed to the
body of the slayer through leather or
wood. 1t has often been related that
laborers have been enabled to per-
form extraordinary feats through the
agency OF the black devil, which they
insert in some part of the implements
of their labor, but the few who are
SO daring as to have recourse to such
means were regarded as dabblers in
the black art, and were looked upon
as reckless, as "utterly left to them
selves" and almost beyond the palc
of salvation.
This insect is still considered ex-
ceedingly dangerous, says Chambers
journal; it is thought to be Il kind of
scorpion, but very few. indeed, are
now disposed to lift it to the dignity
of preternatural influence. The
cuckoo is associated with ideas of II
milder character. When first heard,
in whatever quarter you are looking,
in that direction you are to live the
rest Of the year; but the distance is
indefinite: 1t may be mile or it may
be 100 miles, and there is always
wide margin allowed on either side
the line. which gives easy fulfillment
to the prediction. This happy mr.
rangement leaves plenty of space for
coincidence, and gives the cuckoo n
long lease OF prestige ard Importance.
The cat, SO intimately associated
with the idolatry of Egypt, was not
likely to be forgotten in the fetlchism
of Celtic mythology. The prefer
natural attributes said to be ascribcd
to it by the Druids have outlived the
Druids, their rites and their systems
and have come down to lis refined
and mellowed by the lapse of CEN
turies. Caesar Otway, diligent
cleaner of the reliques of ancient
Irish superstition, has preserved in
his ''Erris and Tyrawlcy" some nota-
BILE instances of the weird character
and magical influence of this mys-