FABLE AND FOLKLORE 223 



by an arrow, saying, "What folly is this ? How could a 

 bird that could not foresee its death by this arrow, predict 

 the fortunes of our journey?" The shocked bystanders 

 might have replied, of course, that the poor creature had 

 no such knowledge in itself, but was merely the blank on 

 which divine intelligence was written ; but the chances are 

 that they held their tongues ! Plutarch mentions many a 

 case in which commanders construed the "omens" in a 

 way contrary to the priestly interpretation, in order to 

 carry out some plan that could not be delayed, and yet 

 conciliate the superstitious soldiers. 



It will have been noticed that most of the prophecies 

 learned from birds relate to coming rain or bad weather, 

 and winter rather than summer. In The Strange Meta- 

 morphosis of Man (1634), as quoted by Brewer, 34 speak- 

 ing of the goose, we read: "She is no witch or astrologer, 

 . . . but she hath a shrewd guesse of rainie weather, 

 being as good as an almanac to some that beleeve in her." 

 Men generally seem more desirous of ascertaining the 

 evil than the good that may be in store for them. The 

 feeling is, perhaps, that if we knew of dangers ahead we 

 might prepare for them, but that in fair days we can take 

 care of ourselves. Almost every country has some par- 

 ticular "rain-bird" whose cry is supposed to foretell 

 showers. In England it is the green woodpecker, or 

 yaffle ; in Malaya a broadbill ; in some parts of this country 

 the spotted sandpiper, or tipup ; but everywhere some sort 

 of cuckoo is called "rain-bird" or "rain-crow," although 

 the various cuckoos of America, Europe, and the Orient, 

 differ widely in appearance, habits and voice. 



Why should peoples so dissimilar and widely scattered 

 attribute to this very diverse cuckoo family the quality of 

 "rain-birds" more than to another family? I can only 



