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teem and the corn swell in the ear。 When a Catholic priest remonstrated with the Indians of the Orinoco on allowing their women to sow the fields in the blazing sun； with infants at their breasts； the men answered； Father； you don't understand these things； and that is why they vex you。 You know that women are accustomed to bear children； and that we men are not。 When the women sow； the stalk of the maize bears two or three ears； the root of the yucca yields two or three basketfuls； and everything multiplies in proportion。 Now why is that？ Simply because the women know how to bring forth； and know how to make the seed which they sow bring forth also。 Let them sow； then； we men don't know as much about it as they do。
Thus on the theory of homoeopathic magic a person can influence vegetation either for good or for evil according to the good or the bad character of his acts or states： for example； a fruitful woman makes plants fruitful； a barren woman makes them barren。 Hence this belief in the noxious and infectious nature of certain personal qualities or accidents has given rise to a number of prohibitions or rules of avoidance： people abstain from doing certain things lest they should homoeopathically infect the fruits of the earth with their own undesirable state or condition。 All such customs of abstention or rules of avoidance are examples of negative magic or taboo。 Thus； for example； arguing from what may be called the infectiousness of personal acts or states； the Galelareese say that you ought not to shoot with a bow and arrows under a fruit…tree； or the tree will cast its fruit even as the arrows fall to the ground； and that when you are eating water…melon you ought not to mix the pips which you spit out of your mouth with the pips which you have put aside to serve as seed； for if you do； though the pips you spat out may certainly spring up and blossom； yet the blossoms will keep falling off just as the pips fell from your mouth； and thus these pips will never bear fruit。 Precisely the same train of thought leads the Bavarian peasant to believe that if he allows the graft of a fruit…tree to fall on the ground； the tree that springs from that graft will let its fruit fall untimely。 When the Chams of Cochinchina are sowing their dry rice fields and desire that no shower should fall； they eat their rice dry in order to prevent rain from spoiling the crop。
In the foregoing cases a person is supposed to influence vegetation homoeopathically。 He infects trees or plants with qualities or accidents； good or bad； resembling and derived from his own。 But on the principle of homoeopathic magic the influence is mutual： the plant can infect the man just as much as the man can infect the plant。 In magic； as I believe in physics； action and reaction are equal and opposite。 The Cherokee Indians are adepts in practical botany of the homoeopathic sort。 Thus wiry roots of the catgut plant are so tough that they can almost stop a plowshare in the furrow。 Hence Cherokee women wash their heads with a decoction of the roots to make the hair strong； and Cherokee ball…players wash themselves with it to toughen their muscles。 It is a Galelareese belief that if you eat a fruit which has fallen to the ground； you will yourself contract a disposition to stumble and fall； and that if you partake of something which has been forgotten （such as a sweet potato left in the pot or a banana in the fire）； you will become forgetful。 The Galelareese are also of opinion that if a woman were to consume two bananas growing from a single head she would give birth to twins。 The Guarani Indians of South America thought that a woman would become a mother of twins if she ate a double grain of millet。 In Vedic times a curious application of this principle supplied a charm by which a banished prince might be restored to his kingdom。 He had to eat food cooked on a fire which was fed with wood which had grown out of the stump of a tree which had been cut down。 The recuperative power manifested by such a tree would in due course be communicated through the fire to the food； and so to the prince； who ate the food which was cooked on the fire which was fed with the wood which grew out of the tree。 The Sudanese think that if a house is built of the wood of thorny trees； the life of the people who dwell in that house will likewise be thorny and full of trouble。
There is a fruitful branch of homoeopathic magic which works by means of the dead； for just as the dead can neither see nor hear nor speak； so you may on homoeopathic principles render people blind； deaf and dumb by the use of
dead men's bones or anything else that is tainted by the infection of death。 Thus among the Galelareese； when a young man goes a…wooing at night； he takes a little earth from a grave and strews it on the roof of his sweetheart's house just above the place where her parents sleep。 This； he fancies； will prevent them from waking while he converses with his beloved； since the earth from the grave will make them sleep as sound as the dead。 Burglars in all ages and many lands have been patrons of this species of magic； which is very useful to them in the exercise of their profession。 Thus a South Slavonian housebreaker sometimes begins operations by throwing a dead man's bone over the house； saying； with pungent sarcasm； As this bone may waken； so may these people waken； after that not a soul in the house can keep his or her eyes open。 Similarly； in Java the burglar takes earth from a grave and sprinkles it round the house which he intends to rob； this throws the inmates into a deep sleep。 With the same intention a Hindoo will strew ashes from a pyre at the door of the house； Indians of Peru scatter the dust of dead men's bones； and Ruthenian burglars remove the marrow from a human shin…bone； pour tallow into it； and having kindled the tallow； march thrice round the house with this candle burning； which causes the inmates to sleep a death…like sleep。 Or the Ruthenian will make a flute out of a human leg…bone and play upon it； whereupon all persons within hearing are overcome with drowsiness。 The Indians of Mexico employed for this maleficent purpose the left fore…arm of a woman who had died in giving birth to her first child； but the arm had to be stolen。 With it they beat the ground before they entered the house which they designed to plunder； this caused every one in the house to lose all power of speech and motion； they were as dead； hearing and seeing everything； but perfectly powerless； some of them； however； really slept and even snored。 In Europe similar properties were ascribed to the Hand of Glory； which was the dried and pickled hand of a man who had been hanged。 If a candle made of the fat of a malefactor who had also died on the gallows was lighted and placed in the Hand of Glory as in a candlestick； it rendered motionless all persons to whom it was presented； they could not stir a finger any more than if they were dead。 Sometimes the dead man's hand is itself the candle； or rather bunch of candles； all its withered fingers being set on fire； but should any member of the household be awake； one of the fingers will not kindle。 Such nefarious lights can only be extinguished with milk。 Often it is prescribed that the thief's candle should be made of the finger of a new…born or； still better； unborn child； sometimes it is thought needful that the thief should have one such candle for every person in the house； for if he has one candle too little somebody in the house will wake and catch him。 Once these tapers begin to burn； there is nothing but milk that will put them out。 In the seventeenth century robbers used to murder pregnant women in order thus to extract candles from their wombs。 An ancient Greek robber or burglar thought he could silence and put to flight the fiercest watchdogs by carrying with him a brand plucked from a funeral pyre。 Again； Servian and Bulgarian women who chafe at the restraints of domestic life will take the copper coins from the eyes of a corpse； wash them in wine or water； and give the liquid to their husbands to drink。 After swallowing it； the husband will be as blind to his wife's peccadilloes as the dead man was on whose eyes the coins were laid。
Further； animals are often conceived to possess qualities of properties which might be useful to man； and homoeopathic or imitative magic seeks to communicate these properties to human beings in various ways。 Thus some Bechuanas wear a ferret as a charm； because； being very tenacious of life； it will make them difficult to kill。 Others wear a certain insect； mutilated； but living； for a similar purpose。 Yet other Bechuana warriors wear the hair of a hornless ox among their own hair； and the skin of a frog on their mantle； because a frog is slippery； and the ox； having no horns； is hard to catch； so the man who is provided with these charms believes that he will be as hard to hold as the ox and the frog。 Again； it seems plain that a South African warrior who twists tufts of rat's hair among his own curly black locks will have just as many chances of avoiding the enemy's spear as the nimble rat has of avoiding things thrown at it； hence in these regions rats' hair is in great demand when war is expected。 One of the a