Current Superstitions | Page 2

a deal of lore in her leisure hours during a three or four days' ocean trip. Oftentimes a caller has by chance let drop a morsel that was quickly picked up and preserved.
The large amount of botanical and zo?logical mythology that has gradually accumulated in my hands is reserved for separate treatment. Now and then some individual item of the sort appears in the following pages, but only for some special reason. A considerable proportion of my general folk-lore was orally collected from persons of foreign birth. There were among these more Irish than of any other one nationality, but Scotch and English were somewhat fully represented, and Scandinavians (including one Icelander), Italians, a Syrian, a Parsee, and several Japanese contributed to the collection.
It has been a puzzling question to decide just where to draw the line in separating foreign from what we may call current American folk-lore. The traditions and superstitions that a mother as a child or girl heard in a foreign land, she tells her children born here, and the lore becomes, as it were, naturalized, though sometimes but little modified from the form in which it was current where the mother originally heard it. Whether to include any folk-lore collected from oral narrators or from correspondents, even if it had been very recently brought hither, was the question. At length it has been decided to print only items taken down from the narration of persons born in America, though frequent parallels and numberless variants have been obtained from persons now resident here, though reared in other countries.
It would be a most interesting task to collate the material embraced in the present collection with the few published lists of American superstitions, customs, and beliefs, and with the many dialect and other stories, the books of travel, local histories, and similar sources of information in regard to our own folk-lore. Equally valuable would be the endeavor to trace the genesis of the most important of the superstitions here set down. But the limits of the present publication make any such attempt wholly out of the question, and the brief notes which are appended refer to but a few of the matters which invite comment and discussion.
Some few repetitions have been almost unavoidable, since not infrequently a superstition might consistently be classified under more than one head; besides, it is not unusual to find that varied significations are attributed to the same act, accident, or coincidence. When localities are wanting it is sometimes because the narrator could not tell where he had become familiar with the items communicated; again, a chance correspondent failed to note the locality. In putting on paper these popular beliefs and notions, the abbreviated, often rather elliptical, vernacular in which they are passed about from mouth to mouth has to a great extent been followed.
It is impossible here to name the legion of individuals from whom the subject-matter of the various chapters of this volume has been gathered. But thanks are especially due to the following persons, who have contributed largely to the contents of the book:--
Charles Aldrich, Webster City, Iowa. Miss Ellen Beauchamp, Baldwinsville, N.Y. John G. Bourke, Capt. 3d Cavalry U.S.A., Ft. Ethan Allen, Vt. Miss M.A. Caller, A.C.F. College, Tuskeegee, Ala. John S. Caulkins, M.D., Thornville, Mich. Miss Ellen Chase, Brookline, Mass. Miss Ruth R. Cronyn, Bernardston, Mass. Uriah A. Greene, Flint, Mich. Professor George M. Harmon, Tufts College, Mass. W.J. McGee, U.S. Geol. Survey, Washington, D.C. Hector McInnes, Halifax, N.S. John B. Nichols, Washington, D.C. John G. Owens,[viii-1] Lewisburg, Pa. Prof. Frederick Reed, Talladega, Ala. Mrs. Amanda M. Thrush, Plymouth, O. Miss Helen S. Thurston, Providence, R.I. Rev. A.C. Waghorne, New Harbor, N.F. Miss Susan Hayes Ward, "The Independent," New York, N.Y. Miss Ellen L. Wickes, Chestertown, Md.
Above all am I indebted to Mr. Newell, whose generous co?peration and advice have been invaluable to one working under peculiar hindrances.
FANNY D. BERGEN. CAMBRIDGE, MASS., 1. 15. 1896.
[viii-1] Deceased.

CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 I. BABYHOOD 21 Baptism.--Physiognomy.--Introduction to the World.--First Actions.--Various. II. CHILDHOOD 26 Asseveration.--Challenge.--Fortune.--Friendship.-- Mythology.--Punishment.--Sport.--Various. III. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 32 Beauty.--Dimple.--Ears.--Eyes and Eyebrows.-- Finger-nails.--Foot.--Forehead.--Hair.--Hand.--Moles.-- Nose.--Teeth. IV. PROJECTS 38 Apples.--Apple-seeds.--Babies.--Bed.--Bible.--Birds.-- Buttons.--Four-leaved Clover.--Counting.--Daisy Petals.-- Doorway.--Eggs.--Fingers.--Garments.--Letters of the Alphabet.--Midnight.--Plants.--Ring.--Stars.--Tea-leaves.-- Walking Abroad.--Water.--Various. V. HALLOWEEN AND OTHER FESTIVALS 55 VI. LOVE AND MARRIAGE 59 Engagement.--Attire of the Bride.--Lucky Days.--The Marriage Ceremony.--Courting and Wedding Signs. VII. WISHES 67 VIII. DREAMS 70 Animals.--Colors.--Dead Persons.--Earth.--Eggs.--Fire and Smoke.--Human Beings.--Meteorological Phenomena.--Money and Metals.--Teeth.--Water.--Weddings and Funerals.-- Miscellaneous IX. LUCK 79 Cards.--Days.--Dressing.--Horseshoes.--Pins.--Salt.-- Sweeping.--Turning Back.--Miscellaneous. X. MONEY 87 XI. VISITORS 89 XII. CURES 94 Amulets.--Charm.--Water.--Miscellaneous. XIII. WARTS 101 Causes.--Cures. XIV. WEATHER 106 Cold.--Days and Times.--Fair or Foul.--Moon.--Rain.--Wind and Storm. XV. MOON 117 Divination.--Fortune.--Moonlight.--Wax and Wane. XVI. SUN 123 Domestic and Mechanical Operations.--Cures. XVII. DEATH OMENS 125 XVIII. MORTUARY CUSTOMS 131 XIX. MISCELLANEOUS 134 Actions.--Bodily Affections.--Apparel.--Customs.--Days.-- Domestic Life.--Various. NOTES 151

CURRENT SUPERSTITIONS.

INTRODUCTION.
The record contained in the present volume forms