The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-11-26
The Bird Omen of Death.

LOOK" cried Adelaide 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 a bird in the sick room was Il
sure omen of approaching death to the
occupant. Sir Walter Scott, in his book
on "Witchcrait and Demunology," gives
many remarkable instances of this SUI
perstition which, like all superstitiOns,
is never at a loss for eye-witnesses and
circuDistantial evidence. Faith in the
omens of birds is indeed ore Ct the most
ancient Of popular decisions. IL 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 f%ull-grown ones TO the young
mes whose callow wings refuse a
heightened light"
The episode of the "great bird''
which so terrified the dying actress re.
minds us also of one of the strangest
of lives and deaths to he 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 Letters of
Junins," although Macaulay inclines
decidedly to Sir Philip Francis. Ger
tain IL is that the description given by
Woodfall, the printers boy, of the tall,
thin gentleman. with high shoulders,
gold laced coat, and word. who gave him
the MS. OF OF the - letters" accords
with tie appearance. Of Lord Lyttleton
nut NIT With that II 5ii Philip Francis.
Moreover, when he former spoke in
the house of lord he fairly electrified
his audience by his power of invective
n 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.
hut 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, 80 at least he as
serted. had been predicted to him by
the appearance ola white bird in his
bedroom. This was the third night be.
fore he died, and he declared that his
death would takeplace at midnight, Just
WAtu ~ uiu. IlC WIS III u COnVlVldl
party mt a broth er nobleman's country
house. and looking at his watch he said,
with the sardonic smile peculiar to him,
" II live halt an hour longer l shall
Jockey the ghost" nearing that he
would give it the lie to the omen. He
retired shortly alter, and sent his SER
want for a spoon that he might take his
customary dose ofrhubarb. When the
man returned he found his master dying
Ia commissions 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, 1.-THE storp of the
bird may have been true, and the belief
In such appearances of the feathered
tribe, especially oil one or sometimes two
white birds, before death, was very lre-
valent even among the upper classes OF
society in those days.-Rrooklyn Ea0ie.