And yet, strange to say, the appearance of an Owl by day is by some considered equally ominous:—
“The Owl by day,
If he arise, is mocked and wondered at.”
Henry VI., Part iii., Act v., Sc. 4.
“For Night-Owls shriek, where mounting Larks should sing.”
Richard II., Act iii., Sc. 3.
Should an Owl appear at a birth, it is said to forebode ill-luck to the infant. King Henry VI., addressing Gloster, says:—
“The Owl shrieked at thy birth, an evil sign.”
Henry VI., Part iii., Act v., Sc. 6.
While upon any other occasion, its presence was supposed to predict a death, or at least some dire mishap:—