Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-09-16
The Bird Omen of Death.

IOOk, cried AQelalde Nelson in
terror to the physician attending her in
her last moments, "look at that great
bird flying about me-" 1t was a bat
that had flown into her death chamber,
and DIR. Monier drove it out
This little incident is suggestive of
the strong belief which once obtained in
England aud Scotland that the appear
ance of bird in the sick room was !
sure omen of approaching death to the
occupant. Sir Walter Scott, in his book
on "Witchcraft and Demonology, gives
many remarkable instances of this su-
perstition which, like all superstitions,
is never at loss for eye-witnesses and
circumstantial evidence. Faith in the
omens of birds is indeed one of the most
ancient of popular delusions 1t was an
article of universal faith among the
ancient Greeks, and Sophocles, the most
delightfully."- human of the tragedy wri-
tiers of Athens, speaks of the sure
prophecies and foreknowledge to be de-
rived from birds, from the strident
wings of full-grown ones to the young
ones "whose callow wings refuse a
heightened dight.'
The episode of the "great birdn
which so terrified the dying actress re-
minds us also of one of the strangest
of lives and deaths to be met with in
the English history. Thomas, the
second son of Lord Lyttleton, is believed
by many critics to this day to be the
author of the famous g Letters of
Junius," although Macaulay inclines
decidedly to Sir Philip Francis. Ger
tain it is that the description given by
Woodfall, the printers boy, Of the tall.
thin gentleman, with high shoulders,
gold-laced coat, and sword, who gave him
the MS. of one of the letters,n accords
with the appearance of Lord Lyttleton
but not with that of Sir Philip Francis.
Moreover. when the former spoke in
the house of lords he fairly electrified
his audience by his power of invective
and sarcasm, and it is a notable coin
cidence that many of Lord Lyttleton's
expressions, such as :" women, and men
like women" are found also in Junius.
But all this, OF course, is not conclusive,
and we only recall the strange noble
man who, even at Eton, was looked
upon with awe for his odd mixture
of morose soicism with dissipation.
because his death, so .at least Ii. as
serted, had been predicted to him by
the appearance of q white bird in his
bedroom. This was the third night be-
fore he died, and he declared that his
death would take place at midnight, Just
when it did. He was at conviyia
party at a brother nobleman's country
house, and looking at his watch be said,
with the sardonic smile peculiar to him.
If live halt an .hour longer / shall
jockey the ghost," d Gaming that he
would give it the lie to the omen. He
retired shortly after, and sent his SER
want for spoon that he might take his
customary dose of rhubarb. When the
man returned he found his master diving
in eonvulsions on the floor. There
seems little doubt that he had poisoned
himself, and had predicted his death in
the full purpose of fulfilling the proph-
ecy by suicide. Still, the story of the
bird may have been true, and the belief
in such appearances Of the feathered
tribe, especially of one or sometimes two
white birds, before death, was very pre-
valent even among the upper classes of
society in those days Brooklyn EAGLE.