| OCR Text |
Show SAILORS HAVE ODD BELIEFS. Good and Bad Luck Thought to Bs Brought by Bird a. Birds, as Inhabitants of tho air, were naturally chosen by JJ10 ancients as oracles and augurs of future happenings. happen-ings. Tho sensitiveness to atmospheric atmos-pheric changes shown by many blrJs aided In establishing these notions. The real IndlcalloTTs often furnished by sea birds of a coming, storm or calm wore doubtless magnified by the anxious, anx-ious, superstitious sailor. These Indications, Indi-cations, bo It explained, seldom pro-cede pro-cede the atmospheric changes more than a few hours. The custom of hanging tho sea swallow swal-low so that the bill may point to the wind arose froiy. tho old-time ustora of suspending tho bird by tho feet, expecting It would ronew. Its feathers as If allvo. The albatross Is believed by Jack Tar to sleep on the winds'. It 'was at one time 'thought that the petrol hatched Its eggs under Its wings. Tho kingfisher was at one tlmo kept In chests to kc9p away moths. Tho iUhha.wk was esteemed a bring-cr bring-cr of good.lucU; It boded good or evil as Its cry was to tho rlghf or left. . Thoro was an old superstition that gulls were never seen bleeding. Shooting Shoot-ing stars ,wore then supposed to bo the halt digested foo'd of winter gulls. |
