OTHER DEATH OMENS.
The Cock.—It was once thought in all parts of Wales that the crowing of a cock before or about midnight was a sign of death; but whether one of the family or one of a neighbour’s family was going to die, it depended on the direction of the cock’s head whilst crowing.
The Hen.—A hen crowing like a cock is also supposed to indicate a death in the family or some very near relation; or if not death, some very bad luck.
A hen laying two eggs in the same day was also a sign of death. A hen laying a small egg was also a bad sign.
An Owl persistently screeching near a house or a raven croaking hoarsely also indicated a death.
The Dog.—A dog howling, which is called in Welsh Ci-yn-udo, is a sign of a death.
The Death Watch.—A sound made by a small insect like the ticking of a watch was once considered a sign of death. A few years ago a sound of this kind was for a long time heard at a house in the parish of Llanddewi Brefi; but as no one died in the house, the family was cured of the superstition.
The sound in the ear as of a bell, is a token of death in the family.
Clothes Burning.—A farmer’s wife near Aberystwyth, informed me that a few years ago she placed a servant boy’s wet trousers on a chair to dry before the fire. Then she went out to milk the cows, but when she returned to the house she found that the trousers was burnt. A few days after this her mother died.
The untimely blossoming of a tree is another sign of a death.
Yarrow and Heather.—Bringing either yarrow or heather into a house is a presage of death; white heather, however, is a sign of good luck.
Death-pinch.—This is a mark that cannot be accounted for, appearing suddenly on any part of the body, and is a sign of the death of one of the family or a relative.
A Funeral Procession moving too fast is a sign that another funeral will soon follow.