( 4076 .) Will you kindly tell me the origin 
of the expression, “Mother Carey’s chick¬ 
ens”? L. W. L. 
[This is a term applied by sailors to flocks 
of the stormy petrel. Mother Carey is 
“mother dear” (mater cara), and the term 
signifies the Virgin Mary, who is the patron¬ 
ess of sailors. Roman Catholic sailors be¬ 
lieve that she gives notice of approaching 
storms by sending flocks of the stormy petrel 
to warn them.] 
