Strange Natural History Superstitions 



once from a defective pocket and always blamed the 

 careless seamstress, until I dropped across this interest- 

 ing superstition ! 



The crofters in the Isle of Skye firmly believe that 

 the great northern diver hatches its eggs under its wing 

 whilst swimming about on the surface of the sea. 



Many people consider it unlucky to kill a spider, and 

 it is if you enjoy an afternoon nap and cannot indulge 

 in it because of the attention of troublesome flies. 



In those bad old times when wild ducks were plenti- 

 ful and doctors scarce in East Anglia, if you happened 

 to be suffering from an acute attack of ague all you had 

 to do was to catch a spider species immaterial 

 imprison it in a bag suspended round your neck, and a 

 quick restoration to health and strength followed. 



A superstition still rife in many parts of the country 

 is that eggs laid on Good Friday never become sfale. 



Some people dread turning a stray black cat away 

 from the door. Such an act of inhospitality is considered 

 a certain bid for bad luck. We have had an experience or 

 two of the kind, but the thrice- welcome stranger has 

 invariably failed to bring good health and prosperity to 

 either the larder or the chicken run. 



My paternal grandfather, believing it was lucky to 

 have martins nesting under the eaves of his house, pro- 

 tected and encouraged the birds in every way possible, 

 with the result that dozens of pairs took advantage of 

 his kindness. His domestics, however, belonging to a 

 generation of smaller faith and narrower sympathies, 

 loved them not at all, and many precautionary measures 



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