The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-24

are likely to bring the reptile back TO
life particularly IL 1t IS LETT near a pool
or stream Of water. Dead snakes are
turned on their backs or stretched across
the top rail of a fence to bring rain in
a dry season. The familiar glass snake
superstition prevails to some extent.
Alligator flesh is considered great del
icacy by most of the low country negroes,
but there are portions Of It about the
forelegs and head which some think are
poisonous. The harmless little brown and
green lizards, which are among the most
common reptiles of this region, are gem
orally regarded as Venomous. The man
who kills a toad win lose his COW and
calf. Children believe that when an
angry tortoise closes its mandibles upon
any object It viii not let 20 until it hears
thunder They also think that o decapi-
tated tortoise will come back 70 life II
even the smallest shred OF skin Is left
to connect the head and neck.
A parallel to some Of the curious old
English beliefs, chronicled by Izaak wal
ton, in regard to the generation Of fishes
is found here IN the notion that the com
mon catfish Is a hybrid, being a cross bee
tween the eel and the tortoise. The sense
Of smell is popularity attributed TO fishes
and asafoetida and other odorous sub
stances are used to render the anglers
bait attractive. If a maid or a widow goes
fishing and catches an eel ii is a sign that
she will marry a widower.
Blue jays all go to hell every Friday to
carry sticks for the devil. The negroes
say that the man who kills "A rellig "a
small yellow bird which / have been I'M
able to see and IDENTIFY, viii soon meet
with an accident breaking an arm or leg.
It Is not strange that the curious in
sect known as the devils hone" Is a IA
Vorite subject of popular superstition
wherever II occurs The name itself bears
witness to the fact that it - looked upon
"a something supernatural In South Caro-
liaa the mantis is said to pray for its daily
food, and to return thanks after eating,
though in a hypocritical wa, being an
agent of the devil Field hands frequent
~ meet with it on cotton stalks in the
picking season, and they are always care
ful to give It a wide berth for II II splits
IN ones eyes he viii 90 blind. It's bite
also is regarded as yenomous. Another
object Of fear Is the cow Killer" large,
hymenopterous insect of brilliant scarlet
color. It's sting as indicated By the name,
Is supposed TO prove fatal 70 cattle. com
mon belief among the negroes IS that II
one wantonly kills ants their companions
win revenge themselves By covering his
body just previous to burial. The fact
that small black ants in large numbers
are often found associated with plant lice
in cotton fields, has given rise to a supers
stition that the lice are Matched from eggs
laid by the ants.
Last summer lady living Ia South Caro-
Ina employed several negro children to
weed flower bed. When they stopped
work she went out to examine II, and was
surprised to ind large grassy spot left
untouched. "cyan't pull up dat grass"
the children explained, "kaze hits kivered
wild sperit spit" Spirit spit is the name
given to the small fiecks Of froth which
conceal the pup4e Of the spit0e insects
Cercopidae) and the negroes think that
many evil consequences would come If