156 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



Some sneaking sort of belief still obtains among 

 certain ignorant folk with regard to the ill-luck 

 attending the appearance of Cuckoos. A young 

 Cuckoo flew over the house of an old lady in the 

 town while I stood speaking to her at the door. 

 When I pointed out the retreating bird to her, 

 she begged of me to say it was not a Cuckoo 

 "anything but that, for it was the unluckiest 

 thing in the world should one fly over one's roof." 

 Some still affect to believe that to see three Cuckoos 

 in succession portends a death in the observer's 

 family circle. 



THE STORM-PETREL 



The Storm-Petrel does not visit us so frequently 

 now as in the days when herrings were landed on 

 the beach (see Fishermen Sportsmen). Now and 

 again a severe gale or a succession of boisterous 

 storms from the northward bring some into the 

 neighbourhood, when the keen observer may detect 

 the small dark birds tripping along just beyond 

 the breakers, and now and again meet with one 

 blown inland, weary and exhausted. In the October 

 of 1901 I observed a group of fishermen on the 

 fish wharf surrounding one of their fellows who had 



