_SERPENTS._--These creatures have been regarded from very different
angles, according to the time and the country. The story of the serpent
in the Garden of Eden has caused many people to detest them: but
numerous are the references in histories which go to show that serpents
and snakes have been reverenced. In ancient Rome, the serpent was a
household god: at other times, it was regarded as a symbol of life and
vitality, and it was frequently used as a medium for healing the sick.
In India, this creature is looked upon as a mascot for time and wisdom.
Thus, it is worn by fanatics as a part of their headgear, and people
make metal replicas and wear them as rings, bracelets, etc. Clearly,
then, serpents have found more favor than disapproval, and they may be
counted as mascots, standing for wisdom, long life and good health.
_CATS._--Cats, the most domestic of animals, are regarded with mixed
feelings. Generally speaking, they are supposed to be unlucky, though
oddly enough a black cat is credited with good qualities when it takes
up its abode in a house. This is due to the fact that, during the
Middle Ages, black cats were supposed to be associated with witches and
in league with the evil one. As a result, people treated them kindly
and showered favors on them, not because they liked them, but because
they thought that this treatment would avert bad luck.
The person who drowns or kills a cat may look for ill-fortune for nine
years. Bad luck attends the vessel or ship on which a cat is found, but
on no account may the creature be thrown overboard after the vessel has
sailed. This would only make matters worse.
If a cat leaves a house, it is supposed to take the luck with it, and
leave nothing but bad fortune behind. If a white cat enters a home, it
announces trouble and sickness. A cat licking itself all over signifies
fair weather, but if it merely washes its face, it means the approach
of rain or storms.
_DOGS._--A dog howling under a window indicates death.
Dogs begin in jest and end in earnest.
A dog, a woman, a walnut tree,
The more you beat 'em, the better they be.
If a dog bark, go in: if a bitch, go out.
A dog will bark ere he bite.
_HARES._--If a hare crosses your path, you may look out for a
disappointment. If it runs past houses, there will soon be a fire in
one of them.
In the Isle of Man, hares are believed to be the spirits of old women,
and on that account are shunned as articles of food. In other parts,
those who wish to look beautiful for a week make a point of eating
hare.
_BIRDS._--Robins are variously regarded in different parts of the
country. Some people think them unlucky, possibly because of their
association with the tragedy of the Babes in the Wood. But generally
they are welcomed to a garden or house, which is supposed to be all the
luckier for their coming. Robins that show signs of being friendly are
considered to foretell a hard winter.
Woodpeckers and kingfishers are also lucky, and any suggestion of
ill-luck is only possible when birds are deliberately killed after
having built their nest and claimed the hospitality of a home.
The screech of a peacock is best unheard when luck is particularly
wanted. The feathers of this bird, known to everyone by reason of their
beautiful coloring, should never be taken indoors, as they are reckoned
specially unlucky.
There is an old superstition regarding the cuckoo. Should a maiden,
hearing its notes for the first time that season, kiss her hand to it
and say:--
Cuckoo, cuckoo,
Tell me true,
When shall I be married?
she may tell the number of years which will elapse until her wedding by
counting the number of times the bird cries "Cuckoo." She must reckon
each cry as a year.
Another superstition relating to the cuckoo is that what you are doing
when you hear its cries for the first time in any season is what you
will spend most time at during the remainder of the year. Folk in the
Channel Islands claim that they are sure to be fortunate if they jingle
their purses and run a short distance when hearing the cuckoo for the
first time in the year.
Owls, crows and magpies do not presage any good: in fact, many people
would rather not meet them when anxiety is at hand. An old jingle says
of magpies:--
One for anger,
Two for mirth;
Three for a wedding
Four for a birth.
Ravens are supposed to bring luck to the house where they build their
nests, so it is unlucky to kill one.
It is unlucky to touch a yellowhammer in May, since there is the
devil's blood in it then.
For a white pigeon to single out a house and hover round it is a sure
sign of an early marriage or engagement in that house.
A cock crowing during the night-time means a bad illness for someone
close at hand: if it crows during the afternoon, a visitor will arrive.
Sailors are not over-fond of seagulls, believing them to be the spirits
of their dead mates, yet they are most indignant if anyone tries to
shoot or kill one of them.
_OTHER ANIMALS._--A cricket singing within a house ensures good luck
for all the household.
Kill a spider and it will surely rain.
See a moth on your clothes and you will get new ones.
A death's head moth indicates bereavement.
Pigs are unlucky creatures when seen singly.
To see a white horse and then, shortly after, a red-haired person,
tells of approaching good fortune.
Moles are unlucky to find alive.