WARNING-GIVERS 
 
 
one occasion an owl strayed into 
tol, and the Romans, to avert 
underwent a formal lustration. 
 
 
the Capi- 
the evil, 
 
 
  The Roman senate, when within 
  The city walls an owl was seen, 
  Did cause their clergy with lustrations ... 
  The round-faced prodigy t' avert. 
         Butler, Jludibras, II. iii. 707 (1664). 
   The death of Augustus was presaged by 
 an owl singing [screeching] upon the top 
 of the Curia.-Xiphilinus, Abridgment of 
 Dion Cassius. 
   The death of Comm6dus Antonius, the 
 emperor, was forboded by an owl sitting 
-on the top of his chamber, at Lanuvium. 
-Julius Obsequens, Prodigies, 85. 
   The murder of Julius Cosar was pre- 
 saged by the screeching of owls. 
          The bird of night did sit, 
    Even at noonday, upon the market-place, 
    Hooting and shrieking. 
 Shakespeare, Julius Ccesar, act i. sc. 3 (1607). 
   The death of Valentinian was presaged 
by an owl, which perched on the top of a 
house where he used to bathe.-Alexander 
Ross, Arcana Microcosmi. 
   Antony was warned of his defeat in the 
battle of Actium by an owl flying into the 
temple of Concord.-Xiphilinus, Abridg- 
ment of Dion Cassius. 
   The great plague of Wiirtzburg, in 
Franconia, in 1542, was foreboded by the 
screeching of an owl. 
  Alexander Ross says: "About twenty 
years ago I did observe that, in the house 
where I lodged, an owl groaning in the 
window presaged the death of two emi- 
nent persons, who died there shortly 
after."-Arcana Microcosmi. 
   PEACOCKS give warning of poison by 
ruffling their feathers. 
   PERVIZ'S STRING OF PEARLS (Prince). 
When Prince Perviz went on his exploit, 
he gave his sister, Parizad!, a string of 
 
 
pearls, saying, " So long as these pearls 
move readily on the string, you may feel 
assured that I am alive and well; but if 
they stick fast, they will indicate to you 
that I am dead."--Arabian Nights (" The 
Two Sisters"). 
  PIGEONS. It is considered by many a 
sure sign of death in a house if a white 
pigeon perches on the chimney. 
  PIGS running about with straws in their 
mouths give warning of approaching rain. 
  RATS forsaking a ship forebode its wreck, 
and forsaking a house indicate that it is 
on the point of falling down. (See "Mice.") 
  RAVENS. The raven is said to be the 
most prophetic of "inspired birds." It 
bodes both private and public calamities. 
"To have the foresight of a raven" is a 
proverbial expression. 
  The great battle fought between Bene- 
ventum and Apicium, was portended by a 
skirmish between ravens and kites on the 
same spot.-Jovianus Pontanus. 
  An irruption of the Scythians into 
Thrace was presaged by a skirmish be- 
tween crows and ravens.-Nicetas. 
  Cicero was warned of his approaching 
death by some ravens fluttering about him 
just before he was murdered by Popilius 
Cmnas.-Macaulay, History of St. Kilda, 
176. 
  Alexander Ross says: "Mr. Draper, a 
young gentleman, and my intimate friend, 
about four or five years ago had one or 
two ravens, which had been quarrelling 
on the chimney, fly into his chamber, and 
he died shortly after."- Arcana Micro- 
cosmi. 
  RurmocEnos's HORNS. Cups made of 
this material will give warning of poison 
in a liquid by causing it to effervesce. 
  SALT spilt towards a person indicates 
contention, but the evil may be averted 
by throwing a part of the spilt salt over 
the left shoulder. 
 
 
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WARNING-GIVERS