In exchange he would toss candies onto the floor. If the children jumped too quick for the treats, they may end up getting struck with Belsnickel's switch. An 1853 article in a British magazine describing Pennsylvanian customs refers to ""Pelsnichol", or Nicholas with the fur, alluding to the dress of skins in which he is said to be clad. Some make "Pelsnichol" identical with "Krishkinkle", but the more general opinion is that they are two personages, one the rewarder of the good, the other the punisher of the bad." According to this article, Pelsnichol merely leaves a birch rod in the stockings of naughty children. There are two versions of Belsnickel, the rural and the urban characters. Both are described in the book, "Christmas in Pennsylvania: a folk cultural study", by Alfred L. Shoemaker and Don Yoder. The tradition fell into decline toward the end of the nineteenth century, but has seen a revival in recent years. The tradition of Belsnickel was brought to Indiana by immigrants from the Palatinate. His garb could vary from one locality to another. He might wear a long, black or brown coat or robe, held together at the waist with a rope, and a fur cap or bear skin hat, decorated with bells. In this branch of the tradition, the father or other older male relative was often "busy working outside" or had to see to some matter elsewhere in the house when Pelznickel (or Belsnickel) arrived. "Belsnickling" or "Klausentreiben," was the "running" of groups of young men or youth dressed in false faces and fantastic costumes on "Belsnickle Night", the eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas" ("St. Nikolaustag"), and was the occasion of good-natured boisterousness. Young men, dressed in skins and furs, would move through the streets of town or village, rattling chains and bells. The tradition also exists in parts of Newfoundland (see mummering), Nova Scotia, the prairie provinces of Canada and some communities in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. A writer to the letters column of "The Times" refers to an illustration of "Pelz-Nickel" in a book by English author Harriet Myrtle, "The Little Sister" (1851). German illustrator H.J. Schneider depicts him "in a long cloak, pointed hood, a fur round his neck, with a long white beard, and a big bag."