Subject:Bird
Other forms: Birds
Entries
Entry 1721
If a man runnin' round wit wimmin an' she want him tuh stay home, yo' go off an' git chew a bird nest. Jes' git yo' a little common thing as a bird nest an' yo' bring it on to yore home, an' yo' take dat bird nest an' yo' put it as near de center under yore house as yo' kin git it - undah de center of yore house. An' if he don't stay dere, it because dat bird nest ain't under dat house. He'll stay home.
(You don't cover it up or anything?)
No, jis' throw it undah de house - don't cover it up 'tall, jes' push it undah de house. He'll stay.
Entry 2021
Heard tell of 'em goin' tuh - well, dey don't be roun' heah, but dey takes de rock out of a jay bird's nest. Ah've heard tell of people takin' an goin' tuh de mountains an' gittin' a rock out a jay bird's nest an' bringin' it back heah, an' if dey want a job or wanta work any way, or don' wanta do nuthin, dey kin take dat rock an' keep it. It's a lil white rock look jes' lak a aig.
(Well, how do they get that rock?)
Dey go tuh dis bird's nest an' git it. De bird nest be's on de ground, see, in de rocks, kinda in a rock-lak. Well, de nest, it be's covered up an' dey take an' uncover dis nest an' git dis rock out of it an' put it in dere pocket an' bring it on back. [Cf. No. 1155, p.423.]
Entry 5717
If dey ketch yore track where yo' make a track at, dey kin take dat track. Git a thread of any kin' an' measure it from toe tuh heel, undahstan', an' take de dirt up an' put it in [put in] quicksilvah, an' put it in a swinging bird nest, an' yo'll walk in yore grave. [Yo'll swing into your grave would have been better.] Jis' lak it's a bird nest yo' know up in a tree. Put it up dere where de birds go.
(And which foot do they get, both feet?)
No, de right feet.
Entry 5820
Take yore hair, some of yore hair, an' put it in a bird nest. Dey claim long as it stay in dis bird nest yo' be flyin', yo' be goin' jes' long as de bird roost on it. (In what way would you be flying?) Jes' lak, yo' know, yo' tryin' tuh stay heah, but yore mind wouldn't let chew, jes' have tuh leave.
(The woman would do that to get rid of the man.)
Entry 5824
[Fortunately the headache said to be caused by human hair in a bird nest does not last indefinitely.] You kin take your hair in the spring of the year and ball it up and put it in a tree, in a bird's nest, or any place obere a bird kin git it, and they claim you'll continue to have a headache until the season is over.
Entry 5916
(All right, you were going to tell me?)
If dey git some of yore hair. Now, sometime dey lose on dat an' sometime dey don't lose. If dey git de hair from yore head - remembah dey kin take dat hair. ALL BIRDS DON'T USE HUMAN HAIR. But dis guinea hen chick bird [I interrupt]. (What kind of bird?) Guinea hen chick bird. (Guinea hen chick bird?) Yes, if dey kin GIT DAT BIRD - TO TAKE DAT HAIR AN' PUT IT INTO HER NEST. YOU'LL SUFFOCATE WIT A HEAD- ACHE TILL YO' GO BLIND. I kin take dat hair. Oh my! An' bore holes - wrap it into a silvah thimble an' put a silvah dime against it [open end of thimble] an bury it in de ground an' make warts come out on yore head. (Now, that guinea hen. You mean the ordinary guinea hen that runs around the yard. I see.) Yeah, yeah.
Entry 6240
One woman said once dat chew bo' a hole in a tree on de no'th side, a red oak tree, scrape de bark off. An' scrape off de first bark an' den scrape off de second bark, an' den bo' dat hole in de so'th side of a tree. Dat's fo' de hair. An' dey take yore hair an' a bird feathah, sompin wild feather, lak birds are wild things, an' fix wit it an' stop it up in dere. Say dat will run yo' crazy. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 6538
(Your grandfather told you that?)
Mah grandfathah, he wuz a ole, ole Way-back man. He says dat de way dese chings happen tuh yo', yo' know dis time of yeah, de spring of de yeah, all in- sects an' birds are matin'. So dey ketch- es dat bird an' kills it, an' dey puts it away an' let it dry. Den aftah it dries, it'll crumble, yo' know, lak powdah, an' den dey'll powdah dat - crumble dat ovah yuh food, an' yo' eat dat an' den it'll come alive - somepin in yo'.
Entry 8482
Jes' lak yo' were enemies tuhgethah, sompin lak dat, an' yo' wanted dem tuh go, why den yo' go ahaid an' take dere name. Take dere name - jes' lak ah'm enemies ag'inst yo' - take dere name an' write it nine times. An' wrap it up in a piece of papah wit de bird aigs an' put it in de bird nest. An' den dat'll make dem, yo' know, go wild; have a wild mind, a goin' mind tuh go. Dey won' be satisfied nowhere dey go. Sumter, S. Car., (351), 2345:8.]
Entry 8993
Yo' wanta know 'bout whut ah would do to keep people 'way from me. Ah go ketch one dese wild birds an' ah pull a feather out of his right wing an' burn it, an' burn quick- silvah with it, an' ah sprinkle this around the co'thouse do'. Well, dat beat 'em in all sech case.
(That is to beat a lawsuit case.)
Entry 9381
Yo' kin git dose chicken aigs an' go tuh a individual do'. Take de aig an' throw it on de steps an' crack it. Well, dat's a warnin' tuh yuh dat chew gonna move sometime but yo' don' know when. But whenevah dey take dose aigs an' dey have sompin ag'inst yuh, why dey'll bust three. Well, den when dey bust dose three aigs at yuh do'step, nuthin undah de sun kin keep yuh dere.
(Just any old kind of chicken egg?)
Any kind. It de very same as de chicken egg, de bird egg [ = you can do the same thing with a bird eggl. Regardless tuh whut kinda aig it is, if yo' bust dose three, it's real dat chure leavin'. [The use of bird eggs is rare for this kind of work.]
Entry 10176
A bird's nest - a person can take some of your hair and put it in that bird's nest, you see. And take some of that bird's feathers and put that in there and then take your hair and put it in there. And then every, every morn- ing they take and set a light [candle] right in there [the nest] but not burn the nest. Just take that light and set that light in there [in a drinking glass]. And if they want to do you harm, get you some coarse snuff [often leaf of dried tobacco rubbed in hands] some hot pepper [sauce] and put it in there. And burn a light on it for nine mornings - you see, one hour for [each] nine days.
Entry 10711
( Git de featbers out de bird nest aa' bar den, an' dey take dat an' put it in a person's hat, an' dat runs 'en crazy.
[Mephis, 1519:8.]
Entry 10712
Ah heard dey tke, not de egg, dey take where a bird sit at in dat nest an' take some of de trash out of dat.
(The manure.)
Yes sir, an' put it in dat, an' yo' can't stay nowhere.
(Put it where?)
Put it in whiskey or tea or coffee, an' give yo' wandering mind.
(That gives you a wandering mind.)
Entry 10713
Jis' lak yo' git someone's hair, yo' kin git de bird nest an' fold dat up an' throw it in runnin' watah. Well, dat'll run yo' crazy lak dat. Jis' makes yo' go crazy, yo' jis' always be on de path - dat's runnin' 'em. (You put this hair in the bird's nest and sew this up in some- thing?) Yes, yo' throw it in de watah.
Entry 10714
Yo' take de bird nest an' yo' git cayenne peppah an' salt, an' yo' put it down where a person has tuh walk.
(What are you going to do with that salt and pepper?)
Yo' mix it with de bird nest. Destroy de bird nest an' yo' sprinkle dat salt an' peppah with it, an' sprinkle it where a person has tuh walk, dat yore enemy, an' he wouldn't harm yo' in any way. (What will that make them do?) Dat will make dem leave.
Entry 10715
Ah heard dat chew could take a bird nest. Yo' could take a bird nest if dere wuz someone interfere [interfering] with yo' in yore business or livin' in yore sec- tion close about chew. Yo' take a bird nest an' take some table salt an' put it in dis bird nest, an' take dis nest an' throw it up on top of de house. Any per- son botherin' yo', dey'll move out an' keep goin'.
(Throw it on top of the house of the person that is bothering you?)
Yessuh. Dat's right, take de bird nest an' put de salt in it. An' jes' tear it down, jes' sit dere an' tear it down, an' put dat salt in it, an' throw it up on top of somebody house. Let de nest be fulla salt an' dey will scatter - dey'll move on out.
Entry 10716
Dey says takin' a bird nest. Now, dat's somethin', de same thing of love, of married life. Like if yo' wanted a girl, yo' know, an' she doesn't seem tuh care anythin' fo' yo', yo' jes' take de bird nest down an' yo' take, taht if yo' kin git anything of hers, an' put it in dere, an' put it in dis nest, an' sew it up in a piece of new homespun an' yo' wear it yourself yo' see. An' den yo' take de perfume an' put on dat an' jes' yo' know, lak yo' be round her an' yo' know how like girls will be round yo', an' put dere ban's in yore pocket yo' know, an' take de han'kerchief out. Yo' may grab it, but see, she git de scent of dat. Dat'll change her mind an' she do jes' lak yo' wanted her do.
(You put this bird's nest into the handkerchief?)
In de han'kerchief. An' yo' puts dis Hearts Perfume. Jes' don't take nuthin out de bird nest. Jes' take de whole nest right up an' puts it in dis lil' piece of homespun. Den yo' put it in a han'kerchief 'cause yo' want it on it fo' nine mawnin's with dis Hearts Perfume in it. See, when yo' put it in dere, yo' more den apt tuh put it in yore pocket, yo' see. Well, when yo' put dis han'kerchief in yore pocket, dey more den apt tuh grab it. When dey grab, yo' know, yo' goin' have somethin' in dere, but yo' won't have it in de han'kerchief so dey can't shake it out. Well, whenevah she git de scent of dat, why it won't be long 'fore she goin' follow yo'. Well, dat's nuthin but jes' tuh make love.
Entry 10717
Ah'll tell yo', whether it's a woman or man, if she leaves yo' an' yo' wanta git her back, why yo' git chew three grains of cor [maize], an' three strands of her hair, an' if dere any way yo' kin git her track, pick up yo' [your] dirt out of each one of her track - three tracks. An' yo' put dat in yore shoe, umdah yore bottom shoe [insole] whut yo' wear. Lift dat [insole] up an' put it udah dere, an' yo' wear dat. An' she'll come back. See, an' when she come back, an' den, if yo' want her tuh stay dere, yo' go an' git chew a bird nest an' yo' put some sulphur an' salt in dat bird nest an' burn it. Make yo' a little fire an' burn it in de chimley so yo' kin git de scent of it, an' she can't leave yo' no way; can't go an' leave him, de man or woman, which one wanta do it.
(Do you wear that corn in your shoe also?)
Put dat cor an' de hair an' dat sand in yore shoe.
Entry 10718
Ah nevah heard of 'em using a fish, but ah've heard of 'em using a bird. Dey take de two birds to find out whethah a woman is guilty of fornication or not...a man with his wife. Yo' take de two birds - yo' ketch de two an' take [hold] dem ovah runnin' watah, an yo' kill one an' let de othah one go, an' if she's guilty she swells up.
(What two birds do you take?)
It didn't say any certain birds, jest two fowl of de air. [This rite comes from a book, as informant's last statement shows. Nine informants preceding present one, this two-bird rite Was given in a different and expanded form. Rei versing this order, the longer rite now follows this present one.]
Entry 10719
An old note of ine in red ink reads: Good ills- tration of "intention"[[pover of what you intend to doll & my difficulty trying to have informant say without putting my words into his outh.] Yo' could take a bird - yo' know birds mating, yo' know birds, an' take too of 'em whut mates an' take an' cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de nmnin' watah, an' loose de othah one. De othah one, dat will svell up an' die. Dat jest de way de man do, whensomevah yo' have an enemy dat gives yo' any- thing lak dat. Dey'll swell up an' die. (Well, how do you know that anyone will die? Do you have to do something else with that?) He jest take sick. Yo' put dat blood in dat runnin' watah. Ketch 'em both, but when yo' git 'em to de watah, cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de watah, an' loose de othah one. An' de one whut's a bad enemy against yo'; dey'll take sick - go to swelling up. (Well, how do you connect these birds with the enemy? Don't you have to con- nect them in some way?) Well, yo' kin jest tell de enemy, yo' know, he take sick. Yo' know who is by his taking sick. He takes sick den an' he keeps alingering an' he swell up an' die.
(When you are doing this, you have to have the enemy in mind.)
De enemy in mind, whosomevah is a enemy against me. Yo' may not know jest who it is, but yo' know yo's [you hasl a mortal enemy about. Yo' know lak dat. Yo' have it in yore mind lak dat.
(You take any kind of birds that are mates.)
Dat are mates.
Entry 11332
Don' want chew tuh mess with a dove. Anybody [everybody] crazy 'bout a dove an' ever'thin' else 'cause dey say he discovered dry land, when he went out. If dey take one of his[!] aigs or anythin' lak dat an' bust up one of his aigs, yo'll be ragged all de time.
(He discovered dry land in the Bible.)
Entry 12341
[This stone] get it in the eagle nest. There's a white lodestone and there's a black lode- stone. Well, the white lodestone is the female and the black is the male. Well, the female is no good. But it's no hair grows on those stone. [Some rites speak about hair growing on lodestone.] The only thing it is, its FUZZ still grows on it, just [like] the beard on my face - it grow on the lodestone. [This is from Doctor Buzzard of Norfolk, Va., part of whose interview given Pp.1515-1517 and elsewhere.]
Entry 12432
Ah've heard this about a mockin'bird. Ah knows dis to be a fact because me an' mah brothah is [when just] boys, yo' know, we's gwine long at night, a dark night, an' we would go whut we call bird threshin' yo' see. We went bird threshin' an' killed a mockin'bird.[This is evi- dently done with long switches or sticks, beating the shrub- bery on which bird was singing. I should have asked for details.] Well, mah mothah wuz living den - mah mothah's dead now. An' she tole us, she said, "Chillun, ef ah wuz yo' all ah wouldn't eat dat mockin'bird, " she said, "dat is mah death dat chew'all got." Well, we went ahead on. We went ahead on an' eat de mockin'bird an' sure 'nuff in about six month's time mah mothah died.
(What did that have to do with her death?)
Well, ah don't know, but dey say [to kill] a mockin'bird is bad, say dat would be murder. But we went ahead an' et dis mockin'bird. An' so dat wuz mah mothah death.
Entry 12440
You take a mockingbird.
(A mockingbird?)
Yeah, you take a mockingbird egg and a canary bird egg, and you put them twd eggs in a bottle together. And you take a person's name and you put alcohol on that, but you mark the name in initials and you put it in a good bottle. [One bottle is used in this rite.] (You just put their ini- tials on that?) Yeah, and you put it down in that bottle and shake it with that person's [name] that you don't like or do [person who has done] you something. It will just make 'em talk all over from their mouth, send them to jail, give them trouble, make them get in a fight and get in trouble.
(You say this will make them talk?)
Make them talk aplenty, make them get in trouble.
(Well, why does it make them talk?)
Well, you see, the two birds don't agree - make 'em chatter.
Entry 12452
Yo' kin take a mockin'bird an' tell him - like yo' want him tuh go some place an' care' [carry] a note. All yo' gotta do is put it, yo' know, a little strip up under his laig, an' tell him tuh go an care' it to de person. An' call dere name three times an' he'll go dere an' light on dere house an' put it dere.
(Where do you put that note now? Do you attach it to the bird?)
Yes sir, yo' ketch a mockin'bird...
(And where do you put that note now?)
Jes' tie it on him anywhere. Tell him three times an' call de person name to him plain an' he care' it dere.
Entry 12690
De blood from a pigeon - yo' kin take a pigeon an' if yo' wanta kill anybody, yo' kin take a pigeon an' stick him undah his wing an' git de blood. An' git a person name an' go to his do' an' write his 'nitial wit de blood of dat pigeon an' turn de pigeon loose- why it kill him... when he come out [pigeon flies away]. Undah dat pigeon blood, he won't transfer [continue to go as with oldtime streetcar transfers] undah dat pigeon's blood long.
Entry 13280
Ah went in de woods in de spring of de year - it been about three years ago now. If yo' know a swallah [swallow] bird - do yo' know a swallah bird? Well, yo' kin take one of de eggs outa dere nest an' bring it home anl boil it. An' den put it back in dat nest. Well, when dat bird come back, she know dat egg ain't jes' lak she left it. Well, she goes somewhere in de woods an' get a root an' bring it dere an' put it in dat nest. Dat suppose to make dat egg right. An' yo' kin git dat an' jes' keep it in yore pocket an' yo' more den apt to keep a dollah all de time, 'long as yo' keep it.
(You'll get the root out of the nest then?)
Yes sir. She puts de root in de nest. (Then you go and take the root out of the nest. Did you try that? Did it work?) Yes sir, it worked. Fact ah kept money, ah reckon it musta been somepin'.
Entry 13309
Use de thresher [thrasher] feet.
(The feet from a thrasher, the bird. What do you do with those?)
Yo' take an' put that in a bottle. Yo' bottle dat wit chure hair, an' put milk in it, an' yo' put love powders in dere, an' put sulphur in it, an' put red peppah in it, an' yo' work it up airtight, an' dat'll do de work den. Dat will run 'em away. (What do you do with that bottle?) Yo' take dat bottle an' put it in de no'th or de east corner of de garden. Yeah, dat'll make him leave, or if yo' wanta run him crazy, that will run him away.