The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-12-07
FISHERS AND OMENS.
ODD suPERsTITIoNs FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD.

5C1S-0OAAAC
Were Held by the Ancients.
One of the commonest of supersti-
tons among fishermen is the alleged
Ill luck caused by woman. In the Isle
Of Skye If a woman crosses the water
in course Of the fishing the luck is
doomed. At Marlborough, England, If
n woman happens to enter a cottage
when the men are preparing their lines
she is not allowed to depart until she
has knelt down and repeated the Lords
Prayer. In Lapland the fishermen
avoid spreading their captured fish on
that part Of the shore frequented by
women, as the next expedition would
be a failure.
On many parts Of the coast Of Eng
land it is considered most unlucky for
a woman to walk over the nets or any
of the fishing tackle, although women
take an active part In collecting bait.
Some of the English herring fishermen
have an idea that by beating their
wives they can draw the fish in. In
the Hawaiian Islands after the fisher
men have prepared the lau melometo
"a billet Of wood used as decoy) with
the proper incantations care is taken
that a woman does not step over it or
enter the canoe in which it Is placed,
as in that event the decoy would lose
its power, and the kahuna (sorcerer)
would have to go through the opera
ton again.
inf Of fhn T11inicfn1s 10 hq n
ly less adverse than that Of women,
and the practices noted as connected
with the i'll omen of feminine interfer-
ence apply also to the clergy. The
herring are said to have all left one
part of the Irish coast because they
heard the new parson say he was going
to 1.-THE the fishery, and in Lapland and
on the coasts thereof fish are never
looked for where church is in sight.
On the coast Of Lancashire, England,
the fishermen have custom of setting
sail on Sunday. A clergyman of the
town once prayed against this breach
Of the Lords day, as he called it; but,
to neutralize his prayers, the fishermen
made small image Of rags and pious-
~ burned the parson in effigy.
The avoidance of the neighborhood
of churches referred to is accounted
for by the fishermen's belief in the
great quickness of hearing Of fishes.
In Sweden, for instance, the church
bells are not rung in the Dream season,
lest the fish should take fright, and
where the pilchard are fished the peo-
pie are no less careful of their sensi-
tivenesS to sound.
The Romans believed that the SER
rated spine on the tail Of the sting
ray was so venomous as to be capable
of causing injury to even vegetable
and mineral substances, trees losing
their verdure and even rocks being af-
fected. They also considered it bad
luck if person with love or lawsuit
on hand met a remora Sucking fish,
when bathing. Albertus Magnus adj
vised a sutton in law case to place a
perch under his arm and the judge
would thereupon become his friend.
When they catch certain species Of
fiat fish the Firms make the sign Of the
cross. The Irish will not eat the skate,
sometimes called the maid, because 1t
is supposed to bear a questionable re-
sembfance to some Of the grotesque
medieval delineations of the Virgin
Mary. The Dutch fishermen believe
that they can discern the image of the
Virgin in each scale of the drum, and
the Swedish fishermen believe that the
pike turns its head toward the shore
on ST. Gregory's day, March IL.
The origin of certain species of fishes
are to be accounted for in various
ways. When the Brittany fishermen
happened to catch the lotte they threw
them back into the water, as they were
supposed to turn into cells. In parts
of England cells are supposed to be
bred from dew in the months of May
and June or in other sections from the
hairs of horses or kline which drop into
cart ruts or into drinking troughs and
springs and there quicken after rain.
This latter superstition is widely prev
alent in this country. The ancients
supposed that cells were engendered of
mud or that when tired of living they
rubbed themselves against the rocks,
and from the detritus issued a new
breed, while still others believed they
came from the carcasses of animals.
Soles, according to the French fisher
men, are bred from prawns. The Eng
fish fishermen think that the pike is
begotten by the west wind, while the
gudgeon is believed to be generated
from the brains of horses.
Burn the teeth of fish you catch, or
your luck will be bad next day. Pins
found in church make good fish hooks.
In Scotland a quarrel on the beach, If
blood is drawn, will drive the herring
from the coast for the rest of the sea-
son. In Sweden stolen tackle is lucky.
In north Germany herrings eaten on
New Years day bring luck all the year
through. To witness the plunge of a
pike before noon was considered an
unlucky omen in Bohemia. In New
England If you catch a fish you don't
care to keep don't throw 1t back into
the water until you have finished. If
YOU throw 1t in before it will tell all