academt of Be™™] DIVINATION AND OMENS 223 



journey the bird is consulted and its call interpreted to the best of the traveler's ability. Should 

 it be decided that the call augurs ill he invariably abandons the trip until the following day 

 when he makes another attempt to secure favorable omens. It thus happens that his journey 

 may be delayed for several days. On one occasion I was delayed three days because the cry 

 of this mysterious bird was unfavorable. 



BIRDS OF EVIL OMEN 



Besides the turtledove there is no other bird that is the harbinger of good luck. There are, 

 however, several that by their cry, forebode evil. Thus the cry of all birds that ordinarily do 

 not cry by night is of evil omen. The various species of hornbills, crows, and chickens are 

 examples. The cawing of crows and the shrieking of owls in the night have a particularly 

 evil significance, for these birds are then considered to be the embodiment of demons that 

 hover around with evil intent. 



An unusual cackling of a hen at night without any apparent reason is also of ill import. 

 On one occasion it was thought to be so threatening that the following morning the owner went 

 through the fowl-waving ceremony and killed the hen for breakfast. He told me that he had to 

 kill it or to sell it because bad luck might come if he kept it around the house. 



Again, the alighting of a large bird, such as a hornbill, on the house forebodes great evil. 

 Ceremonial means must be taken without delay to avert the evil presaged by such an occurrence. 

 On one occasion I observed the fowl-waving ceremony, the sacrifice of a chicken, and the blood 

 lustration performed with a view to neutralizing the evil portent. 



