BUZZARD'S REST. 33 



sayings cnrrent, and fully one -half are too trivial to 

 repeat. It would seem as if a weatlier-lore possibly of 

 Indian origin and referring to birds tlien abundant, but 

 now wholly wanting, was current more than a century 

 ago. These sayings were subsequently apj^lied to other 

 species, nearly or more remotely allied, and wdiatever 

 meaning they may originally have had has been lost ; 

 but the apparent absurdity of such " proverbs," as now 

 used, seems never to have occurred to those who repeat 

 them. 



That the dusting of chickens, cackling of geese, and 

 the "pot-racking" of Guinea-hens have not given rise 

 to an elaborate series of weather proverbs is, I think, 

 surprising. The only familiar reference to the chicken 

 heard about home is that the rooster, crowing at night, 

 says, " Christmas — coming — on !" It does appear that 

 the midnight crowing of cocks is more frequently heard 

 in December than in June ; but, so far as the meaning 

 is concerned, it unfortunately happens that the noctur- 

 nal crowing is as often heard in January as in Decem- 

 ber. Calling attention to this, I was once gravely as- 

 sured that the cocks crew differently then, and said, 

 " Christmas — come — and — gone !" I accepted the ex- 

 planation. This is not a wxather matter, but is not ir- 

 relevant, as it shows how very common it once was 

 to couple any unusual occurrence w^ith something soon- 

 er or later to happen, and therefore, in the matter of 

 weather especially, to claim it as pro^^hetic of that 

 event. 



Of the examples of weather- lore of birds, the fol- 

 lowing are not uncommonly heard in Central IS'ew 

 2* 



