It is commonly believed in this parish of Ballysokeery that on occasions animals become elf shot, that is in some way stricken by the fairies.
A man in this district named Foster Gardiner has in his possession a set of five smooth round stones called elfstones. These stones are supposed to be dropped by elves or fairies and are rarely found on the land.
The man who possesses these stones places them in a can with some salt water and three coins, one a silver piece and two different copper pieces. He first measures the animal starting from the tail to the head and using as a measure the length from his elbow to the tip of middle finger. This is done three times and each time they get