Mer. Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.--Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act iii. sc. 1 (1595).
Chameleons live on air only.
I saw him eat the air for food.
Lloyd, The Chameleon.
Cow. If a milkmaid neglects to wash her hands after milking, her cows will go dry.
Curst cows have curt horns. Curst means “angry, fierce.”
God sends a curst cow short horns.--Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, act ii. sc. 1 (1600).
Cricket. Crickets bring good luck to a house. To kill crickets is unlucky. If crickets forsake a house, a death in the family will soon follow.
It is a signe of death to some in a house, if the crickets on a sudden forsake the chimney.--Melton, Astrologastor, 45.
Crocodiles moan and sigh, like persons in distress, to allure travellers and make them their prey.