hand of the bird-nester. It is asserted that the respect shown to it by
man is joined in by the animals of the wood. The weasel and wild cat, it
is said, will neither molest it, nor eat it when killed. The high favour
in which this bird is held is usually attributed to the ballad of _The
Babes in the Wood_. Few, however, among the peasantry of this district
have even heard of it; and, however much that beautiful tale may have
tended to popularise the belief, it is evident that we must trace the
origin to a more remote source. One cause for the veneration in which it
is held may be the superstition which represents him as the medium
through which mankind are warned of approaching death. {165} Before the
death of a person, a robin is believed, in many instances, to tap thrice
at the window of the room in which he or she may be. The wren is also a
bird which superstition protects from injury; but it is by no means
treated with such reverence as the robin. The praises of both are sung
in the old couplet:--

"The robin and the wren,
Be God A'mighty's cock and hen."

_Pigeons._--No one, it is believed, can die on pigeons' feathers. In the
northern parts of the county, the same thing is said of game
feathers,--a superstition also current in Kent.--_Ingolsby Legends_,
Third Series, p. 133.

_Wasps._--The first wasp seen in the season should always be killed. By
so doing you secure to yourself good luck and freedom from enemies
throughout the year.

_Bees._--The superstitious ceremonies and observances attached to these
animals appear to be current throughout the kingdom, and by no means