Ireland.— The Irish peasant is subject at all seasons to the sense of shadowy supernatural agencies. But at no other time is his help lessness against such fateful and inexorable agencies brought home to him as in Lent. Moreover at this time the auguries and omens assume an especially depressing complexion. Thus the °keen* of the Banshee, always an eerie presager of death, when it occurs during Lent has the gloomy significance of a double funeral. Peasant mothers in Ireland still carry their children to holy wells where the little ones are made to creep on hands and knees beating their infant breasts the while they pray and plead for Lenten mercy on their own and the manifold sins and wickedness of their fel lows, and are bathed in the blessed water which is credited with a miraculous power of averting sickness and washing away sin. The ceremony is completed by tying to a tree in the neigh borhood of these consecrated springs, shreds of colored rag as a thank-offering and propitia tion to the particular patron saint who is be lieved to preside over the birth of the child and to hold its future in his keeping. The people in the south of Ireland are particularly fearful of the robin entering their houses, for they say that it is always a certain prognostic of severe snows and frosts.
Isle of Man.— One of the superstitious cus toms in Manxland is for the family on stormy nights to retire to rest at a very early hour, so that the good fairies may unobserved enter to find shelter and repose.
Italy.— In Italy the snake is invulnerable except during the full vintage of the moon, when the serpents are believed to become drunken on the vineyards, and may be slain. The slaying of one of these serpents, though, would be the calling down on the head of the slayer and his family forever some terrible plague. The superstition about snakes as guard ians of buried treasure seems to be a favorite one with the Italian peasantry; for they be lieve that all snakes hover about where such treasures are. In Sicily the time honored su perstition of the Evil Eye* is still so widely spread throughout the island, even among the upper classes, that no one who does not wear a charm is considered safe. A Venetian su perstition is that the young girl across whose feet dirt is swept will never get married. The periwinkle has in Italy gained for itself the name of Death's flower, from the ancient custom of raising it for garlands when an infant died.
Japan.— Japanese sailors think it is a good omen to cross the bows of a foreign vessel and frequently they run into considerable danger in order to do it. The Japanese have some curi ous ideas about their finger nails. One of them
i3 to the effect that they must not be cut before starting .on a journey, lest disgrace befall the person before he reaches his destination. Neither should they be cut at night, lest cat's claws should grow out. To throw nail parings into the fire is to invite some great calamity. If, while trimming the nails, a piece should fall into the fire, the person will soon die. They are superstitious about many flowers and will have none of them. Many favorites, as the orchid, gentian, daphne and azalia are utterly prohibited for felicitous occasions. There is also with them an aristocracy of flowers most sharply defined. The iris is of princely dig nity, but because of its purple color must not be used for weddings. Some flowers in them selves are regarded as being of ill omen. Such is the camelia, for instance, which is neglected because its red blossoms fall off whole in a manner which reminds them of decapitated heads.
Java.— When search is made for the body of a drowned person a live sheep is thrown into the water and is supposed to indicate the position of the body by sinking near it.
Mexico.— In Mexico the Indian carnation bears the name of the flower of the dead, and when a virgin dies it is customary for a young woman to carry a garland of flowers and sweet herbs in front of the coffin. The high priest of the ancient Mexicans gave aloe leaves, traced over with sacred characters, to people going among volcanoes, to protect them from the incident dangers.
Norway.— Norwegian sailors believe in the existence of a heck or merman, a sea animal represented as having a fish body with the head of a man and the flowing ringlets of a boy. The merman sits upon the waves, plays the harp and, following the example of many of the Norse fishermen, wears a red cap. It is never seen more than once in seven years, and no matter how many vessels appear in its sight they all must inevitably pensh. A curi ous custom is practised in Norway, where those in search of a drowned body row to and fro with a cock in the boat, fully expecting that the bird will crow when the boat reaches the spot where the corpse lies.
Persia.— In Persia the crowing of a cock.is the sign of some event affecting the family, and the master of the house hastens to feel the bird's feet. If they are cold it is a premoni tion of death; but if they are warm the sign is propitious, and the master rejoices in com ing good fortune.
Peru.— To procure rain the Peruvians used to set a black sheep in a field, pour chica over it and give it nothing to eat till rain fell.