poisonous; but we discovered afterwards that there was another reason,
viz., that it was unlucky to break off even a small twig from a bourtree
bush. In some parts of the Continent this superstitious feeling is so
strong that, before pruning it, the gardener says--"Elder, elder, may I
cut thy branches?" If no response be heard, it is considered that assent
has been given, and then, after spitting three times, the pruner begins
his cutting. According to Montanus, elder wood formed a portion of the
fuel used in the burning of human bodies as a protection against evil
influences; and, within my own recollection, the driver of a hearse had
his whip handle made of elder wood for a similar reason. In some parts
of Scotland, people would not put a piece of elder wood into the fire,
and I have seen, not many years ago, pieces of this wood lying about
unused, when the neighbourhood was in great straits for firewood; but
none would use it, and when asked why? the answer was--"We don't know,
but folks say it is not lucky to burn the bourtree." It was believed
that children laid in a cradle made in whole or in part of elderwood,
would not sleep well, and were in danger of falling out of the cradle.
Elder berries, gathered on St. John's Eve, would prevent the possessor
suffering from witchcraft, and often bestowed upon their owners magical
powers. If the elder were planted in the form of a cross upon a new-made
grave, and if it bloomed, it was a sure sign that the soul of the dead
person was happy.

The _Onion_ was regarded as a symbol of the universe among the ancient
Egyptians, and many curious beliefs were associated with it. It was
believed by them that it attracted and absorbed infectious matters, and
was usually hung up in rooms to prevent maladies. This belief in the
absorptive virtue of the onion is prevalent even at the present day.
When a youth, I remember the following story being told, and implicitly
believed by all. There was once a certain king or nobleman who was in
want of a physician, and two celebrated doctors applied. As both could
not obtain the situation, they agreed among themselves that the one was
to try to poison the other, and he who succeeded in overcoming the
poison would thus be left free to fill the situation. They drew lots as
to who should first take the poison. The first dose given was a stewed
toad, but the party who took it immediately applied a poultice of peeled
onions over his stomach, and thus