The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-02
QUEER AND NONSENS|CAL.
Some Of the Pet Superstitions Be-
lieved by Many Persons
About Animals.
Crows and Ravens Are Thought
to Be Birds of Evil
Omen.
Nsrss Legends of birds and Animals
Sirailia simi1ibus Curantur, With
Some Notable Exceptions.

Among the evil signs or signs of evil thus
or been supported by better authority than
those which connect the crow and the raven
with death or other calamity. 'rhe raven ia
hoarse." says Macbeth. (which croaks the
fatal entrance of Duncan under my battle
ments;" and Marlowe speaks of the "sad,
presaging raven that tolls the sick mans
passport and it is said that if n crow fiut-
ters about q window it is a sign of death.
'The bowling of q dog near a sick man.
chamber, the screeching of an owl. the
death watch" of a beetle, are all infallible
signs of death. 500, too, if a white dove or
pigeon light OF the roof of a house
where a person is sick; and if Il rat
gnaws the bed-post it presages the early
death of the person who sleeps in that bed.
Ii bees swarm on a rotten tree a death will
occur in the family within a twelvemonth,
says the Nashville American, and if a crick-
ct forsake a house it ia a sign that a death
will soon follow.
Among the lesser evils of whose approach
We may be warned by beast or bird, if a cat
sneeze three times it is a sign that the fam
lily will suffer with colds; if a hare runs
ESloGo bAo lodA III lloIib " ii tibfSltl, LIE
journey will not bs a profitable one. and a
SOW crossing his path is also a bad omen,
though if he meets q SOW with n litter of
pigs it is a good sign. If n mouse gnaw the
clothes which you wear it intends thereby
to notify you of impending danger. If you
eat food which has boon nibbled by mice
Is will give you sore throat; but, accord
ing to the old authorities, if you have
smallpox there is no surer remedy than a
fried mouse.
1t is unlucky to kill a stork, a robin or n
swallow. According to a Swedish legend
the stork lowered over our Savior as he was
dying upon the cross, crying "stytke.
styrke!~' (strengthen ye! strengthen ye!) and
from this it received it's name of styrk, or
stork. There is n similar Scandinavian
legend with respect TO the swallow, which
Hattered above the cross crying ..svale!'
''syaler (cheer up! cheer un!1 There arc
two legends with respect to the robin-one
that as the Savior was toiling up the hill of
Calvary n robin flew down aud plucked Il
thorn from his temple. and a drop of blood
fell upon its breast and turned il red. Tho
other is that tho robin carries due to refresh
the sinners in hell, and the heat of the
flames scorched it's feathers rei-a much
more comforting legend than Tint which
~ w IL hhiihhsht jhF viz hhsh VI
carrying sticks to holl every Friday to feed
the flames and torment the wicked. Ii one
kills n wren he will break q bone before tho
year is out. IL ~ also ~uuluoky to kill u
mRrten. Many animals possess tho pnwer
of curing diseases. Three hints taken from
the 'cross' of nm ass, that is the mark rum
ming up the back md cut at right angles over
the shoulders, will cure whooping cough.
but the nss will die. This "cross'' was be-.
lieved to be the cross of CHRIST impressed
upon the animal when Christ rode into
Jerusalem oh the back of an ass. Another