At Cleveland, Yorkshire, the 2nd of May, St. Helen’s Day, is Rowan-tree day, or Rowan-tree Witch-day, and on that day even yet with some the method of proceeding is for some member of the household or family to go the first thing in the morning, with no thought of any particular rowan-tree--rather, I believe, it might be said, till some rowan-tree is fallen in with of which no previous knowledge had been possessed by the seeker. From this tree a supply of branches is taken, and (a different path homewards having been taken, by the strict observers, from that by which they went) on reaching home twigs are stuck over every door of every house in the homestead, and scrupulously left there until they fall out of themselves. A piece is also always borne about by many in their pockets or purses, as a prophylactic against witching. Not so very long since either the farmers used to have whipstocks of rowan-tree wood--rowan-tree-gads they were called,--and it was held that, thus supplied, they were safe against having their draught fixed, or their horses made restive by a witch. If ever a draught came to a standstill--there being in such cases no rowan-tree-gad in the driver’s hands, of course--then the nearest witchwood-tree was resorted to, and a stick cut to flog the horses on with, to the discomfiture of the malevolent witch who had caused the stoppage. SCOTLAND. On May 2nd, the eve of the Invention of the Holy Cross, it is customary in Aberdeenshire to form crosses of twigs of the rowan-tree and to place them over the doors and windows as a protection against evil spirits.--_N. & Q. 3rd S._ vol. ii. p. 483. MAY 3.] THE HIGHLANDS. Pennant, in his _Tour in Scotland_ (1790, vol. i. p. 111) says that a Highlander never begins anything of consequence on the day of the week on which the 3rd of May falls, which he styles _La Sheachanna na bleanagh_, or the dismal day. MAY 8.] APPARITION OF ST. MICHAEL. CORNWALL. The most remarkable observance of antiquity remaining in this county is the “Furry festival” which has been celebrated from time immemorial on the 8th of May. At Helston the day used to be ushered in very early in the morning by the music of drums and kettles, and other pleasant sounds, the accompaniments of a song:-- “Robin Hood and Little John, They both are gone to the fair, O; And we will to the merry greenwood, To see what they do there, O. And for to chase, O, To chase the buck and doe With Hal-an-tow, Jolly rumble, O. And we were up as soon as any day, O And for to fetch the summer home, The summer and the may, O, For the summer is a come, O, And winter is a go, O. Where are those Spaniards That make so great a boast, O? They shall eat the grey goose-feather, And we will eat the roast, O. In every land, O, The land that ere we go, With Hal-an-tow, &c., And we were up, &c.