e New Zealand sorcerers use sticks for divining, which they throw into
the air, and come to their decisions by observing in which direction
these sticks fall. Even in such matters as sickness or bodily injury,
the direction in which the falling sticks lie, or it may be a certain
stick in the group, directs the way to a physician. In ancient times the
Magian form of divining was by staves or sticks. The diviner carried
with him a bundle of willow wands, and when about to divine he untied
the bundle and laid the wands upon the ground; then he gathered them and
threw them from him, repeating certain words as if consulting some
divinity. The wands were of different lengths, and their numbers varied
from three to nine, but only the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 belonged to
heaven, the even numbers 2, 4, 6, 8 belonged to earth. The Chinese
divine after this fashion at the present day. From such ideas has
doubtless arisen the saying that there is luck in odd numbers, a belief
which, after a fashion, still prevails.

The virtue and mysterious power of the divining rod is still believed by
many, and has frequently been resorted to during this century for the
purpose of discovering water springs and metallic veins. The diviner
takes a willow wand with a forked end: the forked points are held in his
two hands, the other end pointing horizontally in front of him, and as
he walks slowly over a field he watches the movements of the rod. When
it bends towards the earth, as if apparently strongly attracted thereto,
he feels certain he is passing over a spring or metallic vein. But the
phenomenon, it is believed, will not take place with every one who may
try it, there being only certain parties, mediums as we would name them
in these days, who have the gift of operating successfully; and such
parties obtained great fame in countries and districts where water was
scarce, as they were able to point out the exact spots where wells
should be dug, and also in such counties as Cornwall, where they could
point out the spots where a mine could profitably be sunk. Again and
again within these few years have warm controversies been carried on in
public papers on the question of the reality of the virtue and power of
the _dousing rod_ for discovering minerals or mineral veins. Some have
argued that a hazel rod is as perfect as a willow rod, and have adduced
instances of its successful application.

There was another form of divining essentially an ap