, 1874-09-05
do spoodi1y. On account Of tho aupuratitton,
tl'tH nsl, siicl. inl1ablta botl Europe md North
hrnurica, Ia called

fruE nlnp or pltArn.
Inofe ~ ~ atranEo fascination IN tho appear
nncc,of tlio'owl at midnight in tlie stlllnoss o.
tl,e woods M az ho wings lp spectral flight ant
uttofa lila moan OF. .lnmehtntioM, and 1t iB moi
surprising Tint Ills nocturnal nbits md ,lnonrth.
Y shriok Hllould 1nao him an. object Of dread tc
obAoryer detcota harmony botwoon tllls ghoat.
y viBltor and tho aconoa am[d which l,o sounds
his Hnmbro notes. Tho moping owl IL
his ivy-ninttlcd tower Is in unison with tic
tho 6oafng owl hat d plaihtiyo charm to tho
senBltivo car Of Uowpor. THO naturaliBt ulso mp
prooiatos tlio qualities which liavo boon rooog-
ntged by tl1o poot. mud tho owl nowhoro appoava
70 hotter advantage thhn In tito pictured pages
of Audubon, wlio calls him the Bhnolio palzh Of
tito woodB. Indeed, wo could not woll Hparo tho
oWl otthor lii iitorat're Or lifo. III the domain
Or .,, sossring fancy or Of groyoling fnot. Hc
Influence which lends slloll Il Bllatiowy charm to
bygono days, innocent alike Of soiontiflo knowl-
cdgo md Aoontiio Bkoptioism.
| -. oNOsYg AND RAVENS
hhVo Benornl!y boon regarded, by BnporetttonH
roopoas birds Of ill.oi1a0n Thoir croalting gar
rultty was believed by tho arolents to portontl
analsy' a1a te nollot htill ngors among Tie
moaorna. rlny Observes that the crow in most
tho summer solstice. Nayous, ho tolls us, arc
tho oniy ,biruB TINT seom TOT undorntand
TIC ta ,.asIl meaning of their anspcos, for. when
ravens hl took thuir departure from Attica mud
Tue roloponnosuB. lilo adds that they arc OF tho
very worst omen whom they swallow tt1eir voice.
H. H. tsy iney nGro s being chokod Itwhs supposed
cry ~ note Of warning to porsonB about to do,
aud Alexander tho Great iB said to hare beon
thus atlinon;shed TINT ha end was near. NUe
@' af r;alp rS;piSyoa raven M to boz tho fodder
ploy the snnio bird aa D mossengor; or death 70
others" Appiun nnd other authots Gayo n1ndo
speclhl montion OF tho crows which wero bciovod
to havo forbodcd tho doath OF Cicero Az tho
great llomun orator 1ay Hleoping In, lis Tor,nnn
villa after his temporary esoapa from Ills uur-
sarers, largo numbers Of thcso birds aro said to
have 1luttorod aud screamed nbout tho windows,
~ If to warn linn Of Ills, approaching fato.
ONO OF theln, aftor entering bis ohamber.
pulled hway tue bod-o1othos from nolicitudo for
Ills safety till his faithful sayos, frghtenod. by
tho oMenH, roliacsa aNm from lB' hii,mhora and
carrlod him away N tholittor in which he was
Hoon after nosassinatod.
| T!ls story affords good Illustration Of tho
! ancient bollof in,
THE PROPHETIC POWERS
Of tho rAvon which caused it to. DO Haorcd to
Apoltn. Virgil, who had tho good HonBo to ro-
gard tho nct1onB OF theso birds al tho result of
natural. ratlor than supernatural powers, rororg
| iu tho Georgics to tho joyful notes Of tho raven
after q storm aH indicative OF mir weathor, mud
moMtions tho dismal oroak of tho impudent crow
atalking Hotarlly on tho dry Ha1ld, as si..n OF
approaching rain. II a rsyon appeared OH tho
lat& of 4 l'erson tho omon was particularly bad:
saope sinistra cava rru.lizit ab ice corntx
I1e owl rcpute attached to these birds in nrt-
clcnt timos has lingorod for centuries among thu
moderns. Abundant eyilenco Of it is found In
English litcrat,,ro. Sponsor spoaks Of
TAe hoarae night raven, srou,pc Ut doloful drcere
A1arston associates the acrceching crow, "Aut-
toring, bout easements OF departing eoulH,n
with gaping graves aud the most dismal voices Of
tSa lions nsf so Iaa aa ns nos nron tV wa non men
pegettllg utrango, imaginary fcars, and telling
through Ills hoarse; boal1 OF following horror.
JIG prevalence m Of tAia superstition is thus re-
1s,t not omnous in all countries
When crows and raYeua croak Upon tEecs7
trations Of this belief in tlle pages, Of BLaks
peare, who tllrus to good ACCOUNT tho woird fan
clos Or agoB III lis nimltablo orcnlious.
ApANsE HATEFUL Fatal wo1r1s,t pFr ou,yo
0fo the epltlets which he applies to the raven,
and az the crow doos NOT fnro much better. being
sugmattzod ~ rbald md kuayiBh. Tho
reputation re ,,. OF tho raven M as - proph-
memorable inatancos. Thus, whom Indy
Macbath Is plotting tho murder OF tho King, sho
seeKs to hayo his doom forebodod by tho voice Of
lhe lll-omonod bird:
That croaks tho fatal outranca Of Duncan,
Under NY battlcments.
Ahd AZ; whnn olhello Is reminded BY 1ago, to rouse
my 1ealouay, Of Desdemonas missing hantlkor-
' t'' e"et''' :" sao "9ouJ u Ills Brael:
oh, i conaos DER my 1nonory,
As s1,a dosh y tho q, favcn o'or the infected house,
noun,s 20 vi:
It IL difficult for us torcallzo the impressive
moss whioil those illustrations must have had in
tho o!don time, when tho rayen, instead of being
sne p1aythlhg or fancy, was a. an ob1eetof dread
na 2. Ysfiiaolo doon-b1rd. ThtH popular concoP-
ton of tue co'uas family, which existed in full
iotce long ai;ef Shakspoares day, is still prova-
lent N tho old World; bishop Hall, in ciumor-
attng tho omens that terrified tho supor-
stltlous man IN tho carly part Of tho goven-
tesnta !''a century. says that " If le heare
!, ont raven croke from tue next roofo he 1nnkes
ma VIII" AZ later Day RamoBey remarked III
his Elntnthologin: III crow ly but over tho
nouso ad efoak A. how do they {oar tne
oF some .. one e., csc IN tho family, shall dio!"
liome,' IN hla DDmonologto in 1850 mentionB
tho Lying aud efoaklng of ravens over
nouso as
THE DREADED ronrESr or DEATH.
In tho following century We lind tho gloomy
still strong in the minds Of tic
vulgar. It is quantity said in tho Secret
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