FABLE AND FOLKLORE 257 



and similar stones of hocus-pocus in the matter of in- 

 convenient omens is delightful; but the faith of the 

 common people was not so easily shaken. For example : 

 When the Sicilian-Greek army of Agathocles, Tyrant of 

 Syracuse in the third century, B. C, was facing near 

 Times a more powerful Carthaginian force, Agathocles 

 let loose a number of owls among his men, "who sud- 

 denly took great courage as the birds sacred to Pallas 

 settled blinking upon their helmets and shields" — and 

 they routed the bigger enemy. That was true religious 

 inspiration — as true as ever blazed in the heart of 

 Christian crusader; but it was a sacrilegous trick on 

 the part of Agathocles! 



Just across the strait from Sicily, at Regium (Reg- 

 gio), was the home of the celebrated cranes of Ibycus. 

 Ibycus, a local poet, was being murdered by robbers 

 when he called on the cranes fluttering near by to give 

 witness of his death. Later, the murderers were one 

 day at the theatre, when they saw a flock of cranes, and 

 in fright whispered to one another: "The cranes of 

 Ibycus!" They were overheard, arrested and executed, 

 whence the proverb "the cranes of Ibycus" to express 

 crime coming unexpectedly to light. 



The Wonderful Magazine, an amazing periodical 

 issued in London from 1793 to 1798, contained a story 

 that in 1422 a "Roman" emperor besieging Zeta took all 

 the sparrows his men could catch, and, tying lighted 

 matches to their feet, let them go toward the town. 

 But the citizens made a great noise, and the frightened 

 sparrows flying back set the Roman camp on fire and 

 so raised the siege. The reader may put his own esti- 

 mate on this bit of historical lore; and may discover, 

 if he can, where and what was Zeta. 



