FABLE AND FOLKLORE 125 



became confused with the Christian celebration of the 

 Resurrection. 



At the feast of the Pentecost, on Whitsunday, com- 

 memmorating the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the 

 Apostles, doves were formerly always employed in 

 Europe in staging the solemnities. 



On Whitsuntide, white pigeons tame in strings from heaven fly, 

 And one that framed is of wood still hangeth in the skie, 



as we are told by Neogeorgus (151 1-63), speaking of the 

 custom in Germany; and elsewhere we learn that in 

 Spain pigeons with cakes tied to their legs were let loose 

 in churches, where representations of the Holy Ghost 

 were a part of the celebration. This last fact accounts for 

 the use of the dove — an emblem of the third element of 

 the God head, as we shall see. 



To a similar old custom, if Marion Crawford, the 

 learned author of Salve Venctia, is not mistaken, we owe 

 the picturesque fact that pigeons are a feature of the plaza 

 of St. Mark in Venice — one of the "sights" of that 

 wonderful city: 



The Venetians always loved processions, and it is to one of 

 these pageants that the pigeons of St. Mark's owe their im- 

 munity. As early as the end of the fourteenth century it was 

 the custom to make a great procession on Palm Sunday, in the 

 neighborhood of St. Mark's. A canon of the Cathedral de- 

 posited great baskets on the high altar containing the artificial 

 palms prepared for the Doge, the chief magistrates, and the 

 most important members of the clergy. . . . According to the 

 appointed service the procession began immediately after the 

 distribution of the palms; and while the choir chanted the 

 words "Gloria, latis et honor" of the sacred hymn, a great number 

 of pigeons were sent flying from different parts of the facade 

 down into the square, having little screws of paper fastened 

 to their claws to prevent them from flying too high. The people 



