It is said that among travelling pigeons the white ones are the chiefs of their communities. According to tradition, a white pigeon once flew into the forest lodge of a noted old man, the Wild Cat. The visitor did not appear ill at ease but stood in the lodge wherever it seemed good to him, […]
Red-necked Grebe defeats the Winter Spirit
Every winter, the birds fly south. One winter, a hell-diver (also called a grebe) told all of the other birds that he would stay for the winter to take care of two of his friends who had been injured and couldn’t fly south. Both of his friends, a whooping crane and mallard duck, had broken […]
Leach’s Storm-petrel in Penobscot Folklore
Mother-Cary’s chicken or Leach’s petrel is well known to the Indians of this region who frequently make protracted voyages in their frail canoes miles from the coast-line among the islands lying off the mouth of the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers. These little birds are correctly named from their habit of obtaining nourishment by scooping animal […]
The Great Auk in Penobscot folklore
The great auk, now almost forgotten in the world by all except the ornithologists, is still remembered among the Penobscot as one of the legendary bird chiefs. While we may hesitate a moment in believing the strict identity of this now-extinct bird with the hero character in one of the creation tales, it nevertheless seems […]
The Loon in the folklore of the Penobscot and Micmac Indians
The family of the divers and swimmers naturally claims a large share of the attention of the northern natives whose homes lie among the rivers and lakes where these large and conspicuous birds resort during the breeding season. Among them the loon stands forth rather sharply. His name “choice, admired bird”, shows the esteem which […]
How to learn to speak to language of birds
Kites have always been considered to be very unlikely vagrants to Iceland. Many men have been anxious to learn the language of birds, for they are wise and can tell many things, both of the past and future. There is but one way to learn the bird language and that is a dangerous one for […]
The Magpie who wanted his tail back
An old woman had milked her cow, set her milk-pail down on the ground, and gone to find some twigs and litter with which to light a fire and boil the milk. A magpie came along and dipped his bill into the milk-pail to get a drink of milk. The milk-pail was upset ‘and the […]
The Thousand-noted Nightingale and the King with three sons
A king wanted to build a church. A Hermit told him he would need the Thousand-noted Nightingale to sing at his church or the church would never be completed. The King had three sons they said: “We will go and bring it for you”. Then the three sons mounted their steeds and set forth. After […]
The ritual of the birdman cult, the Manutara of Motu Nui
The Sooty Tern breeds often in great colonies on remote rocky islands and reefs. One of its regular breeding-places is the small rocky island of Moto Nui, lying off the S.W. end of Easter Island close to the crater of Rano Kao. In this post is described the great annual ceremony which was observed by […]
The Pipit as an omen in Formosa, the Tayial tribe headhunters
In all important matters omens from birds are consulted by the Mountain People of Formosa. The bird usually selected by the Taiyal tribe is called Shi-ski Rekku, a kind of wagtail. This bird is believed to possess the power of regulating good and ill luck. It is held that, if its warning be neglected, it […]