give it an egg: this, if preserved, is held to be a source of good
fortune to the future man. (Vide _Brand_, ii. p. 48.) The first egg laid
by a pullet is usually secured by the shepherd, in order to present to
his sweetheart,--the luckiest gift, it is believed, he can give her.

_Crows._--To see a crow flying alone is a token of bad luck. An odd one,
perched in the path of the observer, is a sign of wrath.

_Owls._--The ominous screech of this, the most ominous of all birds, is
still heard with alarm; and he remains with us, as in Chaucer's days,

"The oule eke that of deth the bode bringeth."

When, as sometimes happens, he exchanges the darkness of his ivy bush
for the rays of the sun at noon-day, his presence is looked upon as
indicative of bad luck to the beholder. Hence it not infrequently
happens that a mortal is as much scared by one of these occasional
flights as the small bird denizens of the tree on which he may happen to
alight.

_Cuckoos._--When the cry of the cuckoo is heard for the first time in
the season, it is customary to turn the money in the pocket, and wish.
If within the bounds of reason, it is sure to be fulfilled. In reference
to the pecuniary idea respecting the cuckoo, the children sing,

"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cherry tree
Catch a penny and give it to me."

_Robins and Wrens._--The robin is considered a sacred bird: to kill one
is little less than sacrilege, and its eggs are free from the destroying