Browse:Salamander (Pocket Gopher) (Volume 1, entries 2262–2263)
Salamander (Pocket Gopher)
Volume 1, entries 2262–2263. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2262
(This animal - what's the name of it now?)
It's de salamander dey call it. He's got skin kinda like one dese brown puppy dogs, an' long claws - dey gits about dis long, see. He's got a pocket [pouch] on each side of his haid, see, an' a little root jest about dat long in dose pockets. An' natchly yo' kin git dose roots outa his pockets - dey jest about de size of a penny, an' yo' wear dose roots jest natchly in yore pockets, or yo' sew it up into somepin - course yo' kin sew it up into a piece of flannel if yo' wanta, so yo won't lose it. It'll shore give yo' good luck. Ah've tried dat. An' ole lady told me about dat. Ah nevah had seen one befo' ah come down heah. Since ah been working down heah we found one out on de job while we was workin', an' quite nach'l it shore has got two little pockets one on each side of his haid. Well, ah got dose two roots - looked in dere an' found dose two roots an' ah got dose two roots. Ah didn't do anything wit 'em but ah got 'em on me heah in mah pocket now. Ah wears them in mah pocketbook every day an' ah has pretty good luck.
(Just general good luck.)
Yes sir. [I evidently looked at them. A pocket gopher (Geomys tuza) is called salamander in southeastern U. S. A.]
Entry 2263
A man kin go ketch one dese heah sandomingos (salamander) in Georgia. [Comment later.] He look jes' lak a white rat. He stays in de ground lak a mole. He's got a pocket lak a 'possum an' he's got it fulla yerbs, all kinda yerbs outside in his pocket. An' yo' ketch one of dem an' git de yerbs outa hit, outa his pocket, an' dey ain't nobody in de world kin beat chew.
(What would you do with those herbs?)
Yo' carry 'em in yore pocket wit chew. An' rub de cards wit 'em. Yes, that's luck fo' gamblin'.
(And you say the sandomingo - does it run around down in Georgia, you say?)
Yessuh, sandomingo, jes' lak a white rat, got red eyes. He stay in de ground jes' lak a mole an' travel, but he comes out.
(And he has a little pocket?)
Yessuh, he has a pocket on de outside - jes' lak dis shirt, his pocket is on de outside.
(And he carries some roots in that pocket?)
Yessuh, he carries it full. [Even my transcriber realizes informant is trying to describe the pocket gopher, because she added the salamander parenthesis. Since this animal is not a marsupial, it has no outside pocket - only cheek pouches. Whether an albino has been seen or exists, I do not know.]