Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-05-24
FANCIES ABOUT BIRDS.
some or THE QUEER suPERsTr
TONS OF coLoRED PEOPLE.

Robin. Jay Bird ana "6hiverin' Owl"
How many queer fancles the negroes
have about birdsl To them every feath-
cred songster makes Representation
either Of good or evil to bofaa the believer
In signs.
Duslxy legend tellers relate how the
white dove hew out Of the Ark and was the
first living thing to find land after the
great food They augment the old story by
saying that on that land did the dove. for
love Of man. plant the first grain Of corn
They bless the gentle bird for giving that
strongest staff of life to the laborer. that
which they call In their quaint fancy for
personiication: Friend John Constant.
"de good corn meal dat stands by you
CONSTANT Il was the mourning dove
who brought the world another great
blessing; with her tender bin she dug for
man tho FIRST springs To him who hears
the first doves note In the new spring
time. good or bad luck Is portended, as
the hearer happens to be going up or down
. hin when the tender complaining strikes
his ear.
pocketful OF money and o crib full Of
corn at the end Of the year await the man
who, walking q level road. hears the
doves cooling. II he comply with the fol-
lowing condition: TO step three steps after
hearing the first note. then to lie down
and roll over his three last tracks.
mighty '1ove powder" Is thought by
dark damsels to be made Of a parched and
powdered doves heart Not few negroes
believe that troubles win follow him who
kills q dove. The mourning dove Is said
to mourn for passing soul.
CONCERNING BIRDS EGGS
The partridge fears to frequent the
ground oft trod by man. hence arises the
belief that death will come to some
dweller in cabin near which is heard the
partridge's shrill whistle. Lucky is he
who finds the nest of the industrious
partridge. for these are birds eggs that
can be eaten without fear of evil conse
quences.
But let no person who loves home eat
the egg Of the blue bird, for that egg gives
to the eater thereof an insatiate desire to
run away-always to run away. Days
full Of sunshine win invite him to wander,
days of clouds and rain will demand him
to leave the warm home hearth; always to
slip away somewhere from familiar places
and well loved faces Woe to him who
eats moching birds egg; the penalty
attached to the eating thereof Is to tell
all. an maybe mon you know" The
eater of Hlldee's egg viii surely there
after break bis arm.
~..~ - h~fr~t4 ~.o~<1oun If44I. xo1,fx,
that planted on old earth the first one Of
the many cedars that now shake their
plumes on thousand hills.
Il was the pert Jay bird that brought in
bis bill the FIRST grit of dirt" to the
world; whence he few with It legend fails
to inform For a certain space on Friday
noon. say the mammies. no jay is to be
seen on the whole face Of the earth
Whyf They go to the under world to
carry to the king Of that realm grain Of
sand. Whether this is . punishment for
the bringing Of that first .'grit, no aunty
win tell, but she will assert most posi-
lively that the jays do certainly leave our
world at precisely o'clock on Friday
morning. and are back promptly at ]
o'clock Of that same day.
LUCK AND LOVER,
Lucky Ii the dusky maid whOssees q red
bird when she Is not on the lookout for
one. She must make no mentionsof hav
ing seen the pretty fellow, but discreetly
60 about her business, maxim no mira
tion at ell. II this condition is complied
with she win see her sweetheart before the
sun is down II the bird seen is bright
red. her lover win come In appy,moods ) If
pale is the color Of the bird. her lover wiz
show himself III tempered
Never bring ont Of Wild birds nest .
young one to strive to rear it In house
where people live. for the bird wilLsurely
die. and no less certainly viii the super
stitious ones regard this death as q ''calI"
for some loved inmate Of that dwelling to
die also.
The rain crow cries for rain Thereare
many jolly dialect songs about the crow
Tho negroes seem to consider him quite .
smart fellow One of them, black one
preacher crow. Most direfm III. how
ever, win follow the dwellers IN q house
On whose roof crow lights It is the wren
nesting under the caves that brings the
greatest good fortune 70 house. Fol
lowed by griefs and trials viii be that
man who kills wren
Let no person mock shiverin' owl.
FOR the penalty thereto IS dat frs'll fol
Ter you Who mOcss e whlppoorufll
viii have his clothes burned up Who
hears a.whippoorwilI sounding It's sweet
AT -