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,