human
It may appear strange to many that having dealt with the superstitions of the Cornish people, no mention has been made of the Divining Rod (_the Dowzing Rod_, as it is called), and its use in the discovery of mineral lodes. This has been avoided, in the first place, because any mention of the practice of '_dowzing_' would lead to a discussion, for which this work is not intended; and in the second place, because the use of the hazel-twig is not Cornish. The divining or dowzing rod is certainly not older than the German miners, who were brought over by Queen Elizabeth to teach the Cornish to work the mines, one of whom, called Schutz, was some time Warden of the Stannaries. Indeed there is good reason for believing that the use of this wand is of more recent date, and consequently, removed from the periods which are sought to be illustrated by this collection. The divining rod belongs no more to them than do the modern mysteries of twirling hats, of teaching tables to turn, and--in their wooden way--to talk.