SUPERSTITION. 333 



birds are no more exempt than men. One thing only is certain, if 

 difficult to be accounted for, and that is, that individual gulls 

 frequently act as this gull acted when a boat is about to put off 

 from the shore in the fishing season, which being occasionally 

 connected, as must sometimes happen, however accidentally, with 

 an unsuccessful fishing adventure, gave rise to the silly superstition 

 which, by the aid of Flavius Josephus, we were able in this instance 

 at least successfully to combat. 



